


Full Moon at Peaceful Haven

by RedheadedSuperhero



Series: ABO Detective Series [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: ABO dynamics, Alpha Dean Winchester, Bottom Castiel/Top Dean Winchester, Detectives, Established Relationship, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Multi, Omega Castiel, Unoriginal Crime Solving, alternative universe, not very realistic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-17
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-07-13 14:30:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 83,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16019864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedheadedSuperhero/pseuds/RedheadedSuperhero
Summary: Nine Months after the dangerous undercover mission in Little Heaven, life is finally perfect. Well, almost. Castiel sits safely at his desk again, where he feels a lot more comfortable than playing bait for some serial killer, and his relationship with long-time crush Dean Winchester is going wonderful as well. There is just that one thing. But Castiel has hardly time to fret about why the hell he and Dean are still not mated – he suddenly needs to deal with the surprising outcome of a murder trial, a new case and – possibly, maybe – a secret admirer. But it is only when an old acquaintance returns that Castiel’s happy bubble finally seems destined to burst.This story is a sequel to New Moon at Little Heaven.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the second part of my ABO-Detective-Verse. I hope you’ll enjoy reading. :-)
> 
> Be warned: This story won’t be any more realistic than the last one. 
> 
> The first instalment is New Moon in Little Heaven – if you haven’t read that story first, this one will probably not make much sense. If you plan to ever read the first part, don’t go on to reading even the first paragraph here! ;-)

**FULL MOON AT PEACEFUL HAVEN**

 

**ONE**

 

 

_New Moon Killer Acquitted_

_Outraging Turn in Murder Trial_

_[…]_

_So again I ask you, dear reader: How is that fair? There have been_ two _murderers killing innocent couples – but only the alpha gets a life sentence while her omega mate will spend the next twenty years in an open asylum, living in relative comfort, able to come and go as he pleases. This is not justice – it is a_ mockery _of justice._

_Lilith Seal has been found guilty to be the driving force behind the murders, and her omega Alastair is now considered as just another brainwashed victim of his alpha. This writer has been in the courtroom every day of the trial – and let me tell you: There is no mistaking of the murderous glint in the omega’s eyes. Lilith Seal, however, comes across as a nice young lady who has made a couple of unfortunate mistakes. How can we be sure that her mate has not somehow coaxed her into the murders? We all know that there have been drugs involved – sometimes used on the alphas to make them weak, sometimes on the omegas to knock them out. Maybe Alastair Seal has found a way to make his alpha act in a manner she usually wouldn’t. And I will remind you that even the detectives who were threatened by the couple – and almost got killed in some sloppy undercover operation – claimed in court that they were convinced that Alastair took great (twisted) pleasure in torturing the victims. The omega detective (though, as we now know, he is not actually a full detective and might have been more useful behind a desk, or, in all honesty, just at home – but that applies to most omegas, doesn’t it?) even remarked it had seemed like Alastair had considered him a target even before Ms Seal did. And wouldn’t that mean that Alastair was actually the main force behind the murders?_

_Of course, I am not trying to defend the actions of the couple known as the New Moon Killers; they need to be punished. But it should be the omega who is put away for life – and not the alpha who might have just been tricked by a deceiving mate!_

[Read more about how modern omegas always try to manipulate their alphas on page 3]

_Metatron_

 

Castiel was staring at the article for a long time even after he had finished reading. He was not even as furious as he usually was with Metatron’s words – he just felt numb. Maybe that was because, for the first time, he partly agreed with the author. Even though it was just a very _small_ part – most of the article was as misleading and interspersed with half-truths as the rest of Metatron’s work.

Castiel closed his eyes and unbidden images formed in his head: Himself, lying on a bed, with Alastair stroking a knife over his chest, the rotten smell of the other omega enhanced by his eagerness. He saw Dean, tied to a chair, and Lilith, grabbing the alpha’s hair. It was a picture that still found its way to Castiel’s mind every now and then – even nine months after it had happened. He took a deep breath and shoved the memory forcefully to the side.

Castiel opened his eyes again and frowned at the newspaper. Of course he did not believe the ludicrous theory that Alastair had somehow tricked Lilith into the murders – Lilith was definitely the propulsive half of the couple – but Castiel was not too happy that Alastair had escaped with such a mild verdict either. Lilith would be behind bars for the rest of her life – while Alastair was sent to an open asylum, where he was allowed to leave the grounds with a chaperone and would be released once he was found mentally stable again. Castiel did not want to deny the omega psychological help – there was something disturbingly wrong with Al and therapy certainly could not hurt – but he would feel a lot better if Alastair had been locked away in a closed-off asylum. For the rest of his life.

Ever since he heard about the verdict, there was a certain numbness in Castiel’s stomach. Dean and he had learned about the outcome of the trial on the news last weekend – while Castiel was still struggling with the aftershocks of a heat. Not a good time to be so completely shocked.

Castiel touched a hand to his neck and his frown just deepened. Maybe he should have worn a turtleneck to work today. Thinking back on the last weekend, he honestly could not tell whether he was feeling so down just because of Alastair’s mild sentence – or because of _that other thing_.

He heard someone enter the breakroom and tried to compose his expression – which was necessary because tears had started to well up in his eyes. He huffed out an angry scoff. No doubt his emotions were still a bit jumbled because of his heat, but he did not want to fuel any stereotypes of overly sensitive omegas if someone caught him crying during his coffee break. It was embarrassing enough that some (a lot more than he would have liked) of his colleagues knew he had called in sick last Friday because of his heat – the nature of his illness was no doubt obvious to everyone since Dean had also taken a day off on short notice. As long as they were not mated, Dean had to take vacation days to help Castiel through a heat, otherwise he would get leave days for a mate, quite like calling in sick himself – even though Castiel was puzzled why legislation had still not been able to come up with a better term by now; an omega in heat was not _sick_. The fact that now most of the police station seemed to be informed of Castiel’s hormone cycle sometimes made him wish he had started to take his suppressors again – but he also enjoyed his new confidence to not alter his scent, and apart from the fact that a lot of people knew about them, his heats were not so bad either. Well, usually.

Castiel straightened, determined to stop thinking about his heat or the fact that he had no _mate_ to share it with – it would not help him to maintain a neutral expression.

“Oh, Cassie, you shouldn’t read that crap. If only for your co-workers’ sake. The whole room is reeking, thanks to your foul mood.”

Castiel looked up and into the grinning eyes of his best friend, Balthazar.

“What can you expect?” Castiel hoped his voice sounded like it was rough from anger instead of his almost-crying. “Metatron just suggested I should rather stay at home than in a police station. Maybe I should take some cooking classes before I resign.”

“Oh, nonsense. Your cooking skills are great,” Balthazar said in a joking tone, but then he sat down on the chair next to Castiel and looked at the omega with an unusually serious expression. “It’s not your fault that Alastair isn’t put away for life. But Lilith is, thanks to you. And Alastair will hardly be able to do much harm anymore. He doesn’t have any money, doesn’t know the world outside of Little Heaven at all. Maybe they will even decide that he should never live on his own. And you know as well as I that his freedom his highly exaggerated in the media. He is only allowed outside the asylum with company, and only on the weekends. And who would vouch for him and take Alastair for a ride anyway? He doesn’t have any family, and no friends. You mentioned yourself that even in Little Heaven no one liked him. So, you really think that, say, _Naomi_ will come around and pick him up for a road trip or something?”

Castiel chuckled at the mental image of Naomi and Alastair driving around in a red convertible. The mentioning of Naomi suddenly lightened his mood: Like he had promised himself, Castiel had knocked on everyone’s door after the arrest of Lilith and Alastair and tried to explain to every omega that they could start a new life. Meg had accompanied him – they had hoped that it would be more effectual if the omegas saw them as some kind of independent role models: one private detective and a police officer of their kind. To no one’s surprise, Tessa had been overjoyed. But they didn’t really need to work on her anyway since she had already applied to an apprenticeship as a nurse – and she and Billy were just about to move to an apartment in Kensington. Most of the other omegas, Meg and Castiel were not so fortunate with them. Some seemed to be content with their alphas, others were just too intimidated. There was for example Dr Styne’s mate Olivia who seemed to be too scared to even talk to Castiel anymore.

But they managed to convince someone at last: Naomi had listened to their speech of omega rights and the possibility of earning your own money and pressing charges against an abusing mate with an unreadable mien and folded arms. She had not said one word – very unusual for her – and after a long, awkward silence when Castiel had finished, she just rose from her chair and walked up the stairs. Meg and Castiel had looked at each other with perplexed expressions and did not really know what to do. They decided to wait, even though it had seemed like an unceremonious dismissal, and to their surprise, just after a few minutes, Naomi came back down, with two big suitcases in her arms. Obviously, she had had enough of Dick Roman’s antiques. She left the house with a startled pair of detectives – who had not really been prepared to take her to an omega shelter right away – and got divorced within three months. In the process, she got quite a bit of money for herself. But since she did not want to stay idle, she learned how to drive – to Meg’s great amusement since Naomi had repeatedly emphasised how an omega should never sit behind a steering wheel – and even got a job as a needlework teacher in a primary school. Castiel shivered since he had always compared Naomi to one dragon of a teacher he once had as a child. But he could not deny feeling satisfied that he helped at least one omega out of an unfortunate marriage.

“See? You did a lot of good there. Arrested two killers, saved at least one omega from a _dick_ , and don’t forget how the stock prices of CagedPain crashed,” Balthazar added in an attempt to cheer Castiel up.

Another downside of their investigation: Crowley and Meg had been able to catch Lucifer Cage in bed with two underage omegas, but he was able to dismiss all charges and claimed he had been tricked. But even though the alpha had been able to escape a prison sentence, the story about the CEO of a big pharmaceutical company sleeping with teenagers had still made nationwide news – and resulted in quite a stir on the stock markets.

“Prices have recovered by now, though. CagedPain is nearly as successful as before,” Castiel mumbled out.

“Wow, you are really a bag of sunshine today,” Balthazar proclaimed drily. Then he looked at Castiel’s neck and the omega could feel his own face turning hot. “What’s that, Cassie? Trouble in paradise?”

Castiel seriously wished he had picked that turtleneck this morning. He covered his neck with his hand, but of course it was too late to hide the --- well, _nothing_. Which was the whole problem.

Usually when an omega lived in a serious relationship but was not yet mated, their neck would mostly stay unmarked. And if you showed one on rare occasions, it would often lead to joking remarks and catcalls. Castiel had seen it quite a few times with Sam, even before he had started dating his brother. But in Castiel’s case, the situation seemed mirror-inverted. Since they had to act as a mated couple in Little Heaven, Dean had marked him before he and Castiel had even been an item. And afterwards, Dean had just continued to do so. The omega had never complained, it had felt _right_ to show off that he belonged with Dean. But Castiel was still unclaimed – a constant mark could only be formed during a heat, when both the alpha and the omega marked _each other_ at the same time. The claim on the omega would never vanish afterwards, even though the one on the alpha’s neck would fade away after a few days. But despite the fact that they had not taken that final step yet, Dean would mark Castiel most times during sex – and everyone had gotten used to it. The few times when the mark on Castiel’s neck was so faded it was hardly noticeable, his colleagues often frowned at him or looked surprised. Castiel assumed they all sometimes forgot he and Dean were not actually mated yet. With the constant marking and their mixed scents, it was hardly distinguishable – that had been the whole premise for their undercover operation after all.

After they returned to their normal lives, Castiel and Dean had seamlessly continued their relationship. Castiel had pretty much moved in with Dean right away – though he had stayed in his old place with Gabriel once or twice a week for a couple of months. Until Dean had asked him why he was still leaving most of his stuff at his brother’s place when he was hardly there anyway. Castiel had not been sure if the statement was meant as a criticism of Castiel staying too often at Dean’s – but then he had seen the slight blush on the alpha’s face.

Castiel had smiled widely: “Dean Winchester, is this your way of asking me to move in with you?”

“Might be,” Dean had answered with a sheepish smile.

Naturally, the next day, Castiel had moved all of his things to Dean’s – no, to _their_ apartment.

Ever since, Castiel had felt like he lived in a happy bubble. After years of pining after the alpha, it still sometimes felt unreal to wake up next to him every day. Not that Dean knew anything about these _years_ of pining – he thought Castiel had started to notice him around the same time Dean had set his eyes on Castiel. Which was only a few weeks before their assignment started – and nearly two years after Castiel had had his first daydream featuring Dean Winchester. But Castiel preferred it that way. Anything else seemed just too embarrassing – not to mention that Dean was already cocky enough as it was. It wouldn’t help him to know Castiel had thought he was irresistible before they had even talked to each other.

Of course, their relationship was nothing like the one Castiel had fantasised about two years ago. For example, Dean never surprised him with a romantic night out, complete with dancing to his favourite song and a declaration of never-ending love --- but the Dean who held him at night felt a lot more solid and dependable than the one of his dreams. Not to mention that, in real life, Castiel would only feel petrified if Dean pulled him to an empty dance floor in a bar full of people. Especially if those people weren’t some envious strangers, but his friends and colleagues.

Castiel had been surprised about the lack of remarks he had heard when it became obvious that he and Dean had become an item after their assignment – at least, that was the official version, but Castiel was pretty sure no one at the precinct believed that nothing had ever happened between the two men until _after_ they had been back to Greenville. The only two people who had ever really teased Castiel about _seizing the opportunity to get in bed with that strutting alpha_ had been Balthazar and, of course, his brother-at-heart Gabriel. But no one at work openly doubted their story – especially Captain Jody Mills and her assistant Donna Hanscum had emphasised how they believed Castiel and Dean had been nothing but professional during their operation. Castiel was glad about their attitude; mostly because, otherwise, Jody Mills would probably need to prosecute them in some way. And with Castiel in heat sometime during the operation, Dean would probably get the worse of it.

But even with Jody’s refusal to acknowledge the truth, Castiel had still been surprised that the rest of the police officers had only shrugged at his new relationship status. He had been sure there would be suggestive jokes for weeks, probably even years. Until that one day, when Balthazar had hinted that most detectives were just too scared of Dean to make any lewd remarks. Castiel had only laughed – he could easily believe that Dean had tried to ensure that no one would make Castiel feel uncomfortable. Especially right after his omega nearly got killed during their mission, Dean had acted a bit over-protective, hardly able to leave Castiel’s side. And weeks later, after they both were well healed and rested and working in their old jobs again – Castiel had to admit he felt a lot more comfortable at his research desk than out in the field – it was probably simply too late to start making fun of them.

Everyone had gotten used to the fact that Castiel always wore Dean’s mark on his neck – and only his alpha sometimes received a joke about his possessive side. It seemed to amuse at least Benny and Charlie that their friend, who had always avoided a serious relationship and only ever looked for one-night-stands, was now intent to show the world that Castiel was no longer available.

And Castiel had always liked it. Which was strange since, with Uriel, the only other noteworthy boyfriend in his life, he had always felt like a tagged property – on the very few occasions he had allowed him to mark Castiel.

But today, there was no sign of Dean on his neck. And right after he had been in heat no less.

Castiel must have been quiet for too long – and even a beta had to notice how sour his scent turned again – since Balthazar now really started to frown and even took one of Castiel’s hands in his. “What’s the problem, Cassie? Did…?”

Balthazar stopped mid-sentence as someone walked suddenly through the door. Castiel knew it was Dean before he even turned around – he would notice that scent in a crowd of a thousand people.

“Hey, Balth, what’s up? You trying to steal my boyfriend away?” Dean asked with no edge in his voice, his tone light as he pointedly looked at their entangled hands.

It was one of the many things Castiel loved about Dean. No matter how much Benny, Charlie or even Jody Mills joked about Dean’s territorial streak when it came to Castiel, the alpha actually wasn’t that possessive. Moreover, Dean had made an effort to get along with Castiel’s friends and family – namely Balthazar and Gabriel – ever since they returned to Greeneville, and Castiel knew they had not always made it easy for the alpha.

Castiel’s social life had changed quite a bit since he started to date Dean. Just a year ago, he had spent almost every night with a good book or some work he brought home. But Dean had slowly coaxed him into meeting up with his friends or getting away for the weekends. At the beginning, he had mostly met Dean’s friends in the company of the alpha, but by now he occasionally let Charlie talk him into some strange RPG or he visited a museum with Sam. Other times, he went out to a bar with only Balthazar or binge watched some TV show on the couch with Gabriel. And Dean had never once objected, obviously never jealous of Castiel’s friends or troubled that he spent some time without him.

Now, Castiel is not saying that the alpha should object to his choices – he very much should not! – but he had only been in one long-time relationship before, and Dean’s behaviour was still somehow new to him. Uriel had never wanted Castiel to meet anyone without him, much less would he have tolerated a single male beta to hold his hand in the breakroom, for everyone to see. Uriel had not even liked for Castiel to see _Gabriel_ on his own. At the time, Castiel had assumed that for Uriel it was hard to believe that the short alpha was truly as a brother to Castiel – but by now, he was pretty sure it would not have made any difference, even if they were biologically related. Uriel had just wanted to isolate Castiel, to make him dependant on him alone. Gabriel had already lived in Greenville by then, a seven-hour-drive away from Arlington, so he hardly noticed how closed-off Castiel became until it was almost too late. And Hannah, his best friend at the time, had been so intimidated by Uriel, she did not even try to contradict him – especially since Castiel had started to agree with him more and more often to avoid another argument. It held a strange irony how Uriel had isolated Castiel step by step – while Dean slowly coaxed him into being more sociable.

Balthazar squeezed Castiel’s hand quickly before he retreated his and winked at Dean: “Can’t blame me for trying.”

Dean laughed at that. “I sure can’t.” He leaned down and quickly pecked Castiel on the lips – something Castiel allowed him to do rarely while they were at their workplace, and only when no one but a few selected friends could see them. Balthazar looked a bit confused for a second, obviously surprised the couple was not openly arguing like he had expected, but then he just rolled his eyes. Castiel was a bit puzzled himself – Dean had not acted any different after Castiel’s heat, just like nothing had happened.

Dean looked at the paper that was still lying in front of Castiel and frowned. “Why are you reading that, baby? You know that Metatron is just some asshole – and it might … upset you again,” he added with a quick look in Balthazar’s direction.

Dean had of course noticed Castiel’s sour mood the last couple of days. But he seemingly thought it was only because of his heat combined with the bad news about Alastair. How dense could he be? But Castiel was also kind of relieved – that way he did not have to engage in a serious conversation that he was not sure he was ready to have yet. And maybe he was overreacting – Dean obviously still wanted to be with him. It was not like he had broken up. One look at Balthazar told Castiel that the beta was still suspicious of what was going on between the couple. Before he could make a remark however, Castiel picked up the newspaper that someone must have forgotten in the breakroom, scrunched it up and threw it in the can a few metres away. Of course, he missed. He was not sad about it, however, since Balthazar and Dean soon joked about his lack of aiming skills – and at least that diverted the beta from their alleged relationship problems.

“Maybe we should rather play basketball tonight?” Dean said in a teasing tone.

“Nuh-uh.” Castiel supressed the urge to raise a finger at Dean. “We are bowling. You’re not getting out of that. Besides, Gabe would never let you hear the end of it if you even _tried_ to chicken out.”

Dean groaned – and both Castiel and Balthazar chuckled at the alpha’s desolate expression.

 

>><< 

 

Six hours later, they met at Greenville’s biggest Bowling Hall – and Castiel had even found a scarf that matched the rest of his outfit so that it looked like he was wearing a fashion article instead of trying to hide his neck. He felt a bit ridiculous, but he could really live without Gabriel confronting him or Dean about any possible relationship problems in front of their friends – at least with Balthazar, Castiel was pretty sure he would not deliberately embarrass him in front of other people. At least not with something so personal. And the rest of the group would be too polite to say anything with Castiel’s more than obvious subterfuge.

The _group_ consisted of Castiel, Dean, Gabriel, Sam, Eileen, Balthazar, Charlie and Benny. And Castiel was deadly set on forgetting all about his worries for a few hours. This was supposed to be a fun night.

Castiel loved bowling.

Well, to be honest, if someone had asked him about a year ago, he would have probably said it was _all right_. But that was before he had found out how absolutely and completely horrible Dean was at bowling. Don’t get him wrong, Castiel was ready to be impressed with and gush about his handsome alpha most of the time – but every now and then it felt good to see something grinding down on his cockiness. Especially something that was as physical as bowling – because Dean had no problem admitting that Sam or Castiel could outplay him in any history quiz or other _nerd stuff_. But with most of their evening games, Dean was insufferable. When they picked darts, Dean made a show of how he did not even have to look at the board to hit it right in the middle. Once they tried go-kart, but of course, Dean was good in anything that had an engine. Whenever they played pool, Castiel had at least the chance of distracting Dean by bending forward in just the right way. But most of the time, it just meant that Dean finished even faster than usual – in an attempt to get home as soon as possible – and Castiel or their friends had still no chance of winning.

But bowling --- bowling was the great exception.

They drew two teams – and like always, the side who got Dean groaned out theatrically. To Castiel’s delight. Dean was just lucky he didn’t have to play with Gabriel tonight, because that short man could be vicious. Especially if someone stood in the way of his victory. But with Dean on the other team, he just gloated.

To make it even worse for the alpha, Charlie had arrived late and did not fail to sigh deeply when she found out she was on the same team as Dean.

“Et tu, Brutus?” Dean growled at her.

“It’s actually _Et tu, Brute_.” Sam corrected Dean, who just glowered at him.

Castiel chuckled and Dean turned to him: “Think that’s funny?”

“No, of course not,” Castiel answered with a perfectly sober expression. “I just think the right use of the vocative in Latin grammar is very important.”

Dean just rolled his eyes, and then there was a wicked glint in them. “You know, it is kind of sexy when you say things like that.”

Castiel chuckled and Dean leaned in to kiss him. Castiel thought for a moment that all his worries had been stupid. He loved how Dean always knew when he was participating in a joke or when he was seriously not able to follow their friends’ humorous comments – something that even Gabriel had never completely mastered. Everything seemed so perfect – why would Castiel even want to change anything in their relationship? Maybe Dean was not ready for the next step – so what? But even though he really tried while he felt Dean’s hand ruffling through his hair, Castiel could not completely stop himself from feeling hurt at the way Dean had rejected him.

“When _I_ say things like that, it’s just annoying,” Sam gruntled towards Eileen, hands moving. She made a gesture in response and the tall omega laughed.

“It’s just your punishment for being so late,” Balthazar said to Charlie, ignoring the starting banter between the brothers. “Why got you held up anyway? I even knocked on your desk when I left.”

“Ugh,” Charlie said in a tone that prepared everyone for a long rant. “You know that case six months ago? My personal Waterloo?” She looked around the group, and everyone nodded. Even Gabriel, who was the only one not employed by the police force and could not possibly know what the red-head was talking about. “As you know, I am still trying to find out how the thieves managed to outsmart the security system of that jewellery store. I mean… this should not be possible. At least it is very hard. You cannot even see a skip in the camera or anything when it changed to old material and back again. And how did they manage to turn off the lights in just one room at just the right moment?” She scoffed angrily. “I thought there was new evidence, but… turned out it was a dead end.”

A few months ago, there had been a break-in at a high-class jeweller during a private sale after opening hours, and the case was still not solved; the police did not even have any noteworthy leads. During the exchange of valuable diamonds and more cash than Castiel will ever see in his life, the lights went out for a few seconds – in those seconds, the owner had been knocked unconscious and both the money and the diamonds disappeared. Since someone had managed to work around the high-end security system – the camera was not showing anything, and they had found out later, that some showed old material – Charlie took it pretty personal. The police had searched everyone who was in that shop – the owner, the byer of the diamonds, and two security agents the potential byer had brought with her as well as the guard of the jeweller – but the stolen goods had not popped up again until this day.

Castiel had always assumed that Charlie’s motivation had not least to do with a certain security guard: Dorothy Baum had been in the room right when it happened, and since it seemed such a well-timed robbery, the police instantly assumed it was most likely an inside job. And Dorothy Baum had been the obvious culprit, as the newest employee of SecCo. In the end, they had not been able to link her to the crime – or anyone else – but for some detectives she was still the thief. Just a clever one, since she had left no evidence behind. Charlie on the other hand had been convinced from the beginning that the tough beta was accused wrongly. In all honesty, Castiel assumed Dorothy might have been the criminal – but for the sake of his friend, he hoped not. Dean was also noticeably quiet whenever the conversation turned towards the case, but he had never worked on it anyway. Benny had. And just like Charlie, he seemed unusually driven to solve it. So no one was surprised when he asked:

“Are you sure? Maybe we should head back to the precinct and look at it together.”

Like Charlie, Benny also seemed to have an additional motivation to solve the case: The CEO of the security company. As it had turned out, Victor Henriksen was an old acquaintance of Benny; the two men knew each other from their shared time in the military. Castiel was still not sure whether Benny was so intent on solving the crime to show off what a good cop he was to an old rival – or to help out a friend. Castiel assumed it was probably the latter, since Benny also seemed averse of the idea of an inside job of SecCo and had looked more into the direction of the jeweller’s employees and surroundings. But maybe he just wanted to present Victor Henriksen with the culprit before anyone else could get in his way – two alphas mostly had at least an underlying rivalry going on. Which was why Castiel had always been secretly impressed with how well Dean and Benny got along. Such a close friendship between two male alphas was more than uncommon.

“Oh no!” Gabriel almost yelled. “Too much shop-talk already. No one is leaving. We are going to play now!”

With that, he picked up the first bowling ball – and instantly landed a strike.

Everyone groaned, even Castiel, Balthazar and Sam who were on the same team as the alpha.

They played for a while, Gabriel leading his team to the pole position with one strike after another. Once when it was Dean’s turn, Gabriel walked up close behind him and made some distinct moves with his hips – earning catcalls of both Balthazar and Sam. Dean was so concentrated on the task – another thing that was endearing to Castiel and why he loved bowling nights – and did not notice what was going on behind his back. And then, for the first time in his short bowling career, Dean managed to drop down five pins at his first try. He turned around with a proud expression and only now realised how Gabriel was nearly touching his butt.

“Oh, Dean-o, I didn’t know I would bring you so much luck.” Gabriel said in a low voice and with half-lidded eyes. “Maybe you should switch from omegas to alphas. You might like it. And I might be willing to show you some good times, you know, you’re not that bad looking.”

Gabriel winked at Dean, and most of the group laughed as the short man slapped playfully on Dean’s behind. Castiel was being a good boyfriend and only rolled his eyes as Dean’s face turned slightly red. The omega was used by now to Gabriel constantly trying to get a rise out of Dean – as far as Castiel knew, his brother had never been interested in alphas, but simply enjoyed making Dean squirm. As Gabriel played out his alpha-male-hitting-on-alpha-male-shtick to a degree that it only annoyed Castiel, he looked around the group. Most seemed amused – if only by Dean’s helpless response – but Benny was looking at the floor with a blush on his face. Before Castiel could wonder at his reaction, Dean had pulled him to his feet and kissed him passionately in front of the crowd in response to whatever Gabriel had just said. When he could breathe again, Castiel raised an eyebrow at his alpha’s idiotic attempt to prove his manliness, while Sam asked:

“Wow, Dean, ever heard of overcompensating?”

Concluding that his mate had been teased enough for one night, Castiel stated: “Okay, enough. Even if a whole army of alphas will come knocking at his door, he’s mine now. I’m not going to give him up.” Castiel determinedly swallowed down the bitter taste in his mouth at the thought that maybe Dean did not want to be _his_. Then he turned to Gabriel and added just as seemingly confident as before: “Sorry, you just have to look somewhere else.”

Dean chuckled and added simply: “What he said.” Then he sat down and pulled Castiel into his lap where the omega happily stayed.

“Hey! No fraternising with the enemy, Cassie. You’re on our team,” Balthazar complained.

Charlie leaned over in a conspiratorial whisper: “But you can come over to our side any time, Cas. Just saying. We’ll treat you better.”

“Yeah, no one of us will try to steal your boyfriend away,” Eileen said.

“Because no one wants him,” Balthazar coughed out.

“Hey! Don’t be a hater,” Dean exclaimed. “No need to be jealous here. It’s not my fault everyone wants a piece of that hot ass.”

Castiel quickly pulled his hand back that had somehow wandered down Dean’s back and he was happy when Sam got everyone’s attention back on the game by announcing: “It’s my turn, I guess.”

An hour later, the game ended as usual: Gabriel’s team won, and Dean’s lost. Not for the first time did Eileen and Sam propose that, in the future, Dean and Gabriel had to be on the same side to keep things interesting. Castiel assumed that Sam felt about as much joy from how much Dean sucked at bowling than he himself.

Dean just snorted and announced he would get another round of drinks. “Since no one can expect me to suffer your company anymore,” he mumbled as he walked away, accompanied by Benny who clapped him on the shoulder good-naturedly. Gabriel followed them, no doubt with the intention of rising Dean up just a little more. Castiel only rolled his eyes – he knew Dean could take a bit of teasing. And he could not begrudge Gabriel the opportunity to shine in a somewhat-sportive activity next to two big alphas. Even though he would never admit it, Castiel knew that Gabriel sometimes suffered from the fact that he was nothing like a stereotypical alpha. No matter how much he tried to hide it behind witty remarks.

Eileen, Charlie and Balthazar excused themselves to bring back their borrowed shoes so that in the end, Castiel was waiting alone with Sam.

“How’s it going, Cas? Your heat didn’t drain you too much? We almost feared we would have to postpone bowling night – and it would be a piece of work to pin Dean down on another date.”

Castiel noticed the contemplating look on Sam’s face and wondered where he was going at. Then Castiel’s eyes landed on Sam’s neck – the mating bite was still quite new – and his gaze turned almost longing. He felt a painful sting at the reminder that he was not wearing a similar, permanent mark.

“You know, he’s not gonna ask you.”

Castiel looked up into Sam’s eyes again, trying to look confused – but he had a feeling Sam knew exactly what he had been thinking about. It was not the first time that Sam seemed to be able to read his mind.

“Dean. He will not ask you to mate with him.”

This time, Castiel was sure he did not manage to look nonchalant – the words had hurt him too much.

“No, no, no, Cas, I don’t mean he won’t be happy to do so. Just that he will not be the one who will come up with it first.”

“Why not?”

“Oh, you know him. He doesn’t feel comfortable talking about those kind of things. He won’t hesitate to stand in the way of a super-villain unarmed, as long as he doesn’t have to talk about his feelings. And as brave as he can be – he might still fear rejection.” Sam sighed. “And he never really believed good things were meant for him. The way we grew up… our mother passed away when he was four, leaving him with an over-demanding father and a little pup he basically had to raise… You know, I loved him, but John Winchester was not exactly father-of-the-year material. He expected too much from Dean, and he was tough on him whenever he thought he had screwed up. It has put a whole lot of self-doubt in Dean. He always assumes his life will screw up again, sooner or later. He might have even convinced himself that he better be happy and enjoy it as long as he can, convinced you will soon realise you have better options than him.”

Castiel frowned. “Did he say that to you?”

“No. I am just speculating. But I know my brother.” Sam chuckled. “Doesn’t mean I couldn’t be wrong. Maybe he is just waiting for the right time to bring it up.”

Castiel scoffed. “I doubt that. Times have been very right.”

“What do you mean?”

Castiel looked around, but everyone was still out of sight. He did not feel too comfortable to discuss this with Dean’s brother of all people. But he wanted to talk to someone – and preferably another omega. So he hesitantly explained: “When I was in heat… I ---- I bit him. Hard. In the neck.” He swallowed. “A mating bite.”

With one pointed look at Castiel’s throat, Sam said: “And now you’re disappointed because he didn’t claim you.”

Castiel only nodded.

“Cas, did you talk to Dean about this?”

“No. I thought… I thought his reaction was quite clear. I couldn’t bring myself to ask him about it, not during my heat. I felt too…” Castiel couldn’t find a word, or maybe he just didn’t want to say it out loud.

“Rejected?” Sam asked softly, and Castiel nodded again, glad that the other omega understood so easily. “But you have never talked about a mating bond before? I mean, no specifics? You didn’t tell him you were ready?” Castiel shook his head no, a deep frown on his face. Biting an alpha during a heat was a pretty obvious sign, wasn’t it? But Sam didn’t seem to agree with him: “I think you really should talk to him, Cas. He probably just wanted to do the right thing here. You know, act responsible. You were in heat, and he probably didn’t want you to feel forced into this afterwards. Quite a few omegas got claimed in the passion of heat – while they were carried away and their brains not functioning as usual. Dean might even think you don’t remember it at all.”

Castiel blinked. That sounded reasonable. How could he have been so blind? He had thought that Dean simply had to have known what Castiel tried to do when he marked him. Before he met the detective, Castiel had never, not even in heat, felt the slightest urge to mate. But with Dean, he basically had to force himself not to mark him since the first time he had been in heat back in Little Heaven. After Uriel had constantly tried to coax him into a mating for years, Castiel had thought that his bite would be an obvious invitation for Dean. But how could Dean have known that Castiel had dreamed about a mating bond for months now? And frankly, a heat might generally not be the best time to bring it up. He hid his face in his hands with a groan.

“Don’t worry, Cas, you can blame your heat for your … confusion? Makes us all less rational at times.” Then Sam frowned. “But if you felt so upset, Dean must surely have noticed it in your scent…”

“When Dean woke up the next morning, I had already turned on the TV. To distract myself. And the only topic on all channels was Alastair and Lilith.”

“Oh. So he thought you were upset because of the verdict.”

“I _am_ upset about that,” Castiel clarified.

Just then, Eileen and Charlie came back, and Sam only managed to whisper: “Talk to him, Cas. I’m sure he’ll want to hear about your intentions.”

A moment later, Dean, Gabriel and Benny returned, each a couple of beers and cokes in hand. All three men laughed so Castiel assumed the make-fun-of-Dean-time was finally over – and Gabriel seemed more than a little bit inebriated. As he watched Dean walk towards him, Castiel felt himself blush. How stupid he had been. Dean had not rejected him. He had tried to do the right thing. Maybe Castiel still thought the alpha should have addressed Castiel’s bite in any way after his heat, but the same could be said for him.

 

>><< 

 

An hour later, the remaining employees of the Bowling Hall had politely hinted that they would like to close the place down eventually, so everyone quickly said their goodbyes. Just as they had arrived at Dean’s Impala, Castiel noticed that he had left his bowling shoes inside – he admitted he was a bit light-headed since his talk with Sam. Right back in his happy bubble. Dean seemed to be in a very good mood as well; he had kept smirking at Castiel for the last hour. Gabriel, however, had been surprisingly quiet towards the end.

“I’ll get them,” Dean announced and hurried back, knocking softly at the already locked front doors of the Bowling Hall.

“Ever the gentleman,” Castiel mumbled to himself as he waved to his friends who were already driving past him in two cars.

As he was about to step into the Impala, he suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine that had nothing to do with the chilly night. He stopped in his movements and breathed in deeply – and there was just something in the air that unsettled him. The faintest trace of a scent he somehow thought unpleasant. He turned around quickly, trying to get another whiff of that scent – but it was too faint to make out clearly. He thought he saw a movement in the corner of his eye and fixed his gaze on a big shadow behind the building of the Hall, but no matter how hard he stared, he could not make out if anyone was hiding in the dark spot. He made a step towards the shadow – and yelled out as he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He quickly turned around, ready to defend himself.

“Wow, babe, calm down. Is this the thanks I get for finding your shoes?”

Castiel chuckled in relief and got into the car after a mumbled apology. His phone buzzed, and he read the text from Gabriel: _I’m so sorry, baby bro_. Castiel frowned, but was determined to not get side-tracked from his mission. Neither by a scary shadow nor by an ominous brother.

“When we’re at home, we need to talk, Dean.”

Dean, who had just started to turn the ignition, froze. His tone was wary when he said: “Now, that can’t be good. This to do with your weird mood for the last couple of days?”

“Yes.” Now Dean looked even defeated, so Castiel exclaimed: “No! It’s nothing bad, Dean. Quite the opposite, I think. At least I hope so.”

While Dean kept staring at him for another moment, it suddenly dawned on Castiel that just because the alpha had not realised Castiel had been consciously trying to get him to mate – it didn’t mean that Dean would be happy at the prospect. But before panic could settle in his scent, Castiel stomped his doubts down and rested a hand on Dean’s arm in a reassuring gesture. He could wait for Dean if it was necessary – but he should be honest about his feelings first.

“Okay.” Dean said finally and started the car. After they had left the parking lot, he looked at Castiel from the side and something he saw in the omega’s face made him finally relax. He even smirked and then asked: “Does this have anything to do with the fact that, according to your big brother, you’ve been madly in love with me for _years_ before we even talked to each other?”

Castiel’s eyes widened, and for the rest of the drive, he stared ahead in horror.

He was going to _kill_ Gabriel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won’t have a regular posting schedule this time. I have written quite a bit in advance, and I’ll try to update once a week – but it will take longer as the story progresses. But at least I have already made detailed notes for the whole story, so I am quite optimistic it will be finished. ;-)
> 
> I currently aim at a length of 8-10 chapters.
> 
> English is not my first language, so please forgive me my mistakes. :-)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little side-note: Don’t expect all chapters to be this long. It got out of hand. ;-)

**TWO**

 

The rest of drive home was spent in complete, awkward silence. For most of the time, Castiel contemplated various possibilities to kill his brother without leaving any evidence. Maybe he was deliberately focusing on his bloodlust, because he just didn’t want to think about what he needed to tell Dean, or Dean’s possible reaction to his confession. When they finally arrived at their apartment, the couple had still not spoken one word, even though the alpha had opened his mouth a few times, but obviously always changed his mind before actual words came out. Castiel thought it might have had something to do with his own stern expression throughout the whole drive.

Now, Dean locked their front door from the inside and leaned his back against it, crossing his arms. Obviously, he was done waiting.

Castiel tried to ignore the alpha – and the feeling of being trapped – while he took off his shoes like there was absolutely no reason to hurry. He had wanted to put Sam’s advice into action right away and since he had already started the subject in the car, there was no way around it now. But he still felt nervous. This might be some life-changing conversation after all. He felt oddly remembered of the day he had first confessed his love to Dean.

It had been – just? – four months into their relationship. And as cliché as it sounded, it happened right after they had had sex, still tied together by Dean’s knot. Castiel had to forcefully stop the words from sneaking out of his mouth on previous occasions, but in that perfect moment – Dean curled around him, a deep sound of contentment humming through the alpha’s chest – Castiel had just said it: “I love you, Dean.”

But instead of the soppy reply Castiel had almost expected, Dean had just turned completely quiet. And Castiel had panicked. Had it been too soon? But he had just moved in. That was not too soon, was it? What was the right timing here?

Castiel had taken a deep breath – and instantly calmed down again. There was still a strong scent of pleased alpha in the air, probably even stronger than before. But when Dean had finally opened his mouth, Castiel quickly covered it with his own hand.

“No, don’t say anything. I don’t want you to. Take your time.” Dean had still tried to say something, but Castiel interrupted him again. “I would feel like I forced you to say it now.”

“As you wish,” Dean had finally answered with a soft smile – and the words sent a flutter to Castiel’s stomach.

It had taken Dean less than three days until he told Castiel that he loved him; in some completely mundane situation, after he had handed Castiel his too-hot coffee at breakfast and the omega had felt grumpy from lack of sleep, his hair a complete mess. Until this day, Dean did not say it half as often as Castiel did – but the omega didn’t mind too much. He knew it was true.

Remembering that, Castiel felt new confidence at the prospect of telling Dean about his plans for their future. The alpha usually needed a little push when it came to emotional topics. But thanks to his brother, Castiel probably had to deal with the fact that Dean now knew about his long-time crush first. Castiel felt --- caught? Embarrassed? Just plain old stupid?

His fingers played with the scarf that still hang loosely around his neck while he thought about a way to start the conversation – maybe Dean would be so surprised to hear Castiel talk about a mating bond that he’d forget all about Gabriel’s words. But in the end, Dean was the first one to speak. He made a few steps in Castiel’s direction and once he was close enough, he stroked a hand over the omega’s cheek.

“I’m sorry if you think I made fun of you in the car. Gabriel just… well, he joked about how he had no chance with me anyway, since you would never let me go after you spent so many years stalking me.” He kissed Castiel’s temple. “I’m sure he exaggerated, as always.”

Castiel could feel his face turn red as he muttered: “I’m sure he did.”

Dean looked down at him with a playful smirk. “So, you did not notice me the day you started at the precinct? Did not try to watch me from afar? You were not madly in love with a virtual stranger?” Dean’s tone had been joking, like he truly believed Gabriel had been exaggerating exorbitantly, but when Castiel made no cranky remark in reply, Dean furrowed his brows. “Cas?”

“Well, I would not say I was madly in love… But I might have had a little crush on you for a while longer than you thought.” Castiel had to admit that was a bit of an understatement, but it was true enough that Dean would probably come to the right conclusion. His first impulse had been to deny it altogether – but if Gabriel found out about that, he would surely start to make it sound like an even bigger deal than it was.

Dean started laughing. “Oh, come on, you really watched me for nearly two years?”

Castiel raised his chin. “Don’t make me sound like a creep.” He didn’t add that, at the time, he sometimes had considered himself some kind of creep. “I had just… noticed you.”

Dean opened his mouth, mischief dancing in his eyes, but then he hesitated. In the end, he said seriously: “I don’t think you’re a creep, Cas. But just imagine how long we could have been together already if you had said something.” Of course, that was how the alpha thought. Why hadn’t Castiel said something? Because it was obviously so easy to ask a virtual stranger to go on a date with you, or whatever. Castiel’s lips turned into a pout – and he instantly felt strong arms around him. “But it doesn’t matter. We’re here now, baby. So, what did you want to talk about?”

Castiel thought he was just lucky that there had been an air of seriousness and discontent around him for days now, otherwise Dean would not have stopped teasing him so quickly. Or maybe the alpha was just curious – and he would bring up Castiel’s years of pining again at a later time.

Castiel pulled Dean with him, and together they sat down on the couch. He took in a deep breath and then announced without preamble: “I want us to mate.”

“Huh?” It was not the first time that Castiel surprised Dean with sudden announcements. Castiel knew he lacked the talent to slide into a conversation gracefully. But now was not the time to work on his people skills. While Dean just kept staring at him like he had grown a second head, Castiel’s whole face turned red.

“I mean… if you would ever like to… I certainly would.” He cleared his throat. “But no pressure. I just wanted to tell you that _I_ am ready. We can wait if you want. I mean we don’t have to…” Castiel realised he was starting to ramble incoherently, so he was glad when Dean interrupted him.

“What? Cas? Are you serious?”

Castiel closed his mouth abruptly and simply nodded. He could see various feelings ghosting over the alpha’s face. His scent intensified as well, but Castiel could hardly pick out any emotion in the jumble. Dean looked straight into his eyes, concentrated, like he was looking for something. Castiel tried to meet his gaze openly, which was not so easy since Dean had still not replied to his confession.

“I thought you…” Dean cleared his throat “…well, I thought you might want to get married first.”

Castiel shook his head – even though his whole body tingled at the thought of a wedding. The difference between a mating bond and a marriage was a bit hazy these days. If you lived with your mate, an alpha would be allowed to take heat days or would automatically have all parenting rights to a possible child – but most legal or financial changes could only be made with a marriage. In the Old Way, the difference had not been that significant because you would usually marry first, and then mate during the next heat. Which made sense since omegas were supposed to be all lily-white virgins when they entered into matrimony. These days, however, the order could be either way, even though most modern omegas chose to get mated first. Like Sam for example, who had just been claimed by Eileen, but the couple had never said anything about an upcoming wedding, yet. And Castiel had not asked if they had any plans – since he thought it was absolutely none of his business if anyone wanted to get married or not. Just like he thought it was rude to ask anyone about their plans regarding children. He himself cringed inwardly every time someone brought the subject up.

When Dean looked unsure, and maybe even a bit disappointed at the omega’s wordless reply, Castiel explained: “I would love to get married, Dean, if _someone_ will ever ask me. But for now, I want to get mated first.”

Dean still looked a bit disappointed, and Castiel wondered if the alpha would have preferred it the Old Way. It sometimes surprised him how conservative Dean could be – like how he believed it was his job to protect Castiel. Not that he thought his omega was weak, not consciously at least, but his inner alpha certainly felt responsible for Castiel’s well-being. But before Castiel could say anything about how they could continue their talk another time, or how he was not trying to convince Dean to do anything he wasn’t ready for, how he had just wanted to tell Dean how he felt --- Dean interrupted his thoughts.

“Okay. Let’s mate then,” Dean said in a hoarse voice and with shining eyes.

Maybe Castiel would have doubted the ready response, if not for the deep sound that came from Dean’s chest, almost like an omega’s purr, but deeper – not to mention the suddenly increased happy-alpha-scent, only slightly mudded by a hint of doubt. And Castiel was reminded of Sam’s words, how the alpha might have expected Castiel to leave him at some point. But right now, Dean leaned forward, wrinkles around his beautiful eyes… until he suddenly frowned, just as Castiel had closed his eyes in anticipation of a romantic kiss.

“Wait… but you said we would talk about your cold shoulder for the last couple of days. What has that to do with anything?”

Castiel resisted the urge to roll his eyes – it must be obvious now, right? “When I was in heat, I bit you, Dean.”

Dean blinked once, then his eyes widened in understanding. “You thought I would claim you? You _wanted_ me to claim you.”

“Yes,” Castiel answered simply.

“Oh, baby, have you any idea how hard it was for me to fight my instincts? I thought you might have done it like… in the _heat_ of the moment, you know?” Dean chuckled at his own terrible joke that had been made thousands of times before. Seriously, if Castiel, or any other omega, would get a dollar for every heat-joke they heard – the world would be _owned_ by omegas. “Gods, it was so hard not to claim you, especially because I am so used to mark you… but I didn’t want to push you into this, you know? I mean, we never talked about mating – at least not in any specific way.”

“I can see that now. At the time I was a bit…”

“…pissed?” Dean suggested.

“…dejected,” Castiel finished.

“Oh sweetheart, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think you wanted… I thought it would be way too early for you. We’ve been together for less than a year.” Dean looked like a beaten puppy – and Castiel could see the wheels in his head turning to find all the reasons why it was his fault that Castiel had felt upset right after his heat. His inner alpha sure would feel great about that. Castiel had learned by now that Dean was over-protective and caring during every heat, some basic instincts seemingly overpowering his brain. Castiel snuggled closer to Dean and sighed happily when he felt a strong arm around his shoulders, pulling him gently towards the alpha’s chest.

“Well, don’t forget that it had been more like three years for me,” Castiel joked in an attempt to lift Dean’s mood. It was not the alpha’s fault that Castiel had not communicated his wishes, so he should not beat himself up about it. It seemed to work since Dean let out a short laugh. “And it’s not your fault. I should have said something before. Or even afterwards. I just… I assumed you would just claim me.”

As he said it out loud, Castiel realised how stupid that idea had been. Dean would never _just claim him_ without any direct invitation – after all, it was the omega who would wear that mark for the rest of his life. So the decision should not be made lightly. Fortunately, society had evolved and a mark on a single omega was not that much of a stigma as it used to be, but it was still frowned upon to have a mark but no mate to match to it. Not to mention that a lot of alphas did not want to even date an omega who had been claimed by someone else. And if Castiel was being honest, a mating mark might even mean more to him than a wedding ring.

When he noticed that Dean stared down at him in disbelief, Castiel tried to explain:

“You know, the only other alpha I had ever shared a heat with was Uriel.” Dean tensed up – like he always did when Castiel brought up his ex. It was not like he talked about him often, but Dean knew enough about the abusive relationship Castiel had been in to hardly be able to keep his growl in check. Uriel might have never hurt Castiel physically, but he had created an atmosphere of intimidation so that Castiel had hardly dared to object after a while, had slowly abandoned his friends, and in the last months of their relationship, Uriel had even tried to force Castiel into sex with his Alpha Voice. Luckily, Castiel had usually been able to fight it off. Which, in turn, had enraged Uriel even more. In hindsight, Castiel could not understand how he had not left the alpha earlier – but their relationship had been so much different in the beginning, and Castiel had loved the Uriel he remembered. And over time, the alpha had managed to make him feel insecure and dependent – it had been hard to find his old confidence again, even after Castiel had managed to leave the alpha. It was only after he had moved to Greenville, far away from his old home, that Castiel had felt ready to start a new life. He tried to suppress a shudder as he added: “And Uriel always wanted to claim me. Even tried to trick me once or twice while I was in heat.”

“I’m not him,” Dean stated firmly. Castiel hoped he only imagined the flash of hurt in the alpha’s eyes. Dean and Uriel were nothing alike – and he really didn’t want Dean to assume Castiel thought otherwise.

“I know. You are so much better,” Castiel responded with a smile.

And he meant it. No matter how stubborn and even patronising Dean could be at times, he would never try to make any important decisions for Castiel. He also did not believe in the Old Way that said omegas should stay at home and take care of their mates and pups. And, unlike Uriel, Dean would never use his Alpha Voice to force Castiel into anything. The only times Castiel had heard Dean using that voice towards him after their undercover operation was in the bedroom – when he complimented Castiel in ways that made him blush just thinking about it. Castiel had never known it could be used that way. He scrambled even closer to Dean on the couch, so he could scent him more clearly, almost purring against Dean’s chest. He could feel Dean’s chin resting on his head. Neither man said a word for some time, and Castiel was content to listen to Dean’s heartbeat and feel strong fingers wander through his hair, his neck, down his back.

“So… getting mated, huh?” Dean traced a hand over the soft skin on Castiel’s arm that left goose bumps in its wake. Remembering the topic of their conversation again, Castiel abruptly looked up and into the alpha’s shining green eyes. Dean then leaned forwards and kissed Castiel so passionately, the omega felt a bit dizzy afterwards. Then Dean licked once over Castiel’s throat and almost growled: “I can hardly wait.”

“Well, you have to wait for at least six to eight weeks,” Castiel managed to mumble out casually between quick breaths. Dean wanted to get mated. He really did. And Castiel could not even be mad at himself for not saying anything before his last heat anymore. He was just glad they had talked about it now – he could wait for another month or two. It was not like either of them would suddenly change their mind.

“Then maybe we should practise?” Dean interrupted his thoughts as he nibbled at Castiel’s earlobe. Slowly, the omega noticed the soft hint of slick in the air. “You know, so we’ll do it right when it counts?”

Castiel tried to raise a sardonic eyebrow at his soon-to-be-mate, but when Dean suddenly pulled him onto his lap so he could kiss a trail down to Castiel’s neck, the omega only let out a hoarse moan. Maybe Dean was right and they _should_ practise. He allowed Dean to drag him to the bedroom, to undress him slowly and caress every part of his body, until the alpha finally marked him at the same time as Castiel was crying out his climax.

Many hours later, just when the omega was about to doze off, half on top of Dean, sated and sweaty, the alpha kissed his forehead and murmured: “You know, if _someone_ will ask you to marry them once I claimed you, I might just punch them. That’s really bad taste. Asking a mated omega to marry _someone_.”

Castiel hit Dean’s shoulder with a growl, mumbling something that sounded very much like “assbutt”, and fell asleep to the alpha’s vibrating chuckle.

 

>><< 

 

The next morning, Castiel woke up in a distinctly better mood than he had been the last couple of days, despite the fact that he had hardly slept. He was relieved he had cleared the air with his soon-to-be mate and that they seemed to be on the same page. Sometime during the night, Dean had hesitantly opened up about his previous doubts that Castiel would not want to mate him so soon, that he had been convinced the omega needed more time. Castiel was reminded that no matter how confident Dean was when it came to his qualities as a detective, he was oddly insecure in personal relationships. The alpha seemed tragically convinced he had let down almost all his friends and family members at some point in his life – his brother, his father, even his mother who had died when he was just four. And of course he took every dead body at work pretty personal, like he could have done anything to prevent every death. Dean had even talked about Lisa, an old girlfriend Castiel knew and liked quite well, and how it had hurt when they broke up, even if mostly because Dean seemed to think he had somehow failed Ben. Castiel had tried to make Dean see that his whole mindset of I-am-responsible-for-everyone was both unhealthy and stupid. In the end, he hoped he had at least managed to assure him that Castiel could not even dream of a better alpha and would never leave him. They had hardly slept, and even when they should already be on their way to work, Dean persuaded Castiel to another practise session.

After a hot shower, Castiel checked his phone to see a dozen of text and voice messages from his brother, and he was tempted to just ignore him. Would suit him right to stew in his own grease for a few days – but Gabriel seemed honestly (and uncharacteristically) sorry about babbling out Castiel’s secret crush, and with his own good mood and Dean’s happy scent, he just didn’t have it in him to be resentful. So he left him a light-hearted message about how he owed him a favour. But as Gabriel answered it might be the other way around, because he had probably just gotten him _one night of mind-blowing sex with that virile (and lovesick) alpha_ , Castiel quickly regretted he had been so ready to forgive.

When he arrived at work that Tuesday, quite a bit later than usual, he received a few teasing comments from Balthazar, Donna, and even a subtle hint from Benny – a sure sign that everyone had noticed the missing mark on his neck the day before. He tried not to blush at the thought he – or rather his relationship status – might have caused gossip among his friends and co-workers. But very much like his little banter with Gabriel, Castiel’s good mood was stronger than his embarrassment.

There was just one thing clouding his current happiness: Since he had felt that cold shiver in the parking lot of the Bowling Hall on Monday night, Castiel could not shake the feeling of being watched. He had absolutely no proof for it, but as he picked up fresh cinnamon rolls for a late breakfast/ early lunch on Tuesday, he had to wait at a red light on his way back, and suddenly his hackles raised. He looked around but could not see anyone suspicious. He had thought a moment that there was this scent again, but if it belonged to someone he knew, it was too faint for him to classify.

On Wednesday afternoon, the strange feeling returned even stronger. Castiel went out to get a cup of coffee with Charlie – and had to sneeze while he waited in line of the small and crowded Coffee Shop.

“What’s up, Cas?” Charlie asked, because Castiel had slowly turned around and looked through the place, his nose still wrinkled. The smell was stronger than before and sent a shiver down his spine; some sort of wood, but old. Or maybe rotten…

Castiel took another deep breath. But then he noticed how Charlie stared at him in wonder and he mumbled out: “Nothing, I guess.” He took his coffee mug from the barista and tried to shake the feeling of paranoia. Maybe he spent too much time with Frank Deveraux. The beta was another researcher in the GPD, and he shared a small office with Castiel. Frank was absolutely brilliant – but he was also rarely _in_ the police station, at least not at normal office hours. Half of the time he came in at erratic intervals, the other half he stayed at home altogether – Castiel assumed his paranoia hindered him to even leave his house some days. But he could not be sure, because even when they were in the office at the same time, Frank hardly ever talked to Castiel about personal matters. Or to anyone, really.

While Castiel still wondered if paranoia was infectious, the two officers sat down at a window. Charlie still watched him intently and finally stated:

“You don’t look like it’s nothing.”

“It’s just… this scent.”

Charlie took a deep breath herself. “Coffee?” She asked meekly.

Of course, betas were not that gifted in picking up a certain note in a coffee shop full of strong beverage, baked goods and lots of people.

“No, it’s … I don’t know, it’s too faint. But I know that smell.”

“And judging from your face, I reckon it is not the good kind of knowing. Not like: oh, those Walnut Wrinkles smell just like my grandmother’s. But more like: This coffee tastes like the one my evil stepmother once tried to poison me with.”

Charlie suddenly bit her lips, and Castiel knew she must have remembered how he had in fact once been poisoned with coffee, if not by his stepmother.

“No, not the good kind,” Castiel answered more vehemently than he had intended. Even though he could not name what the scent was, it was definitely displeasing. And it somehow made him feel --- insecure, vulnerable even. He looked around. “And I thought… when we came in, I thought someone was watching us,” Castiel added, just to see how Charlie would react.

He might have felt embarrassed to mention this in front of Sam or even Dean – he did not want anyone to start with an overprotective attitude (Dean) or question him and his reasoning for rational clues (Sam). But Charlie seemed like a safe bet – Castiel halfway hoped she would just make a joke. Not to embarrass him, but he often felt that as long as Charlie could laugh about something, the situation was not that bad. Like that time Castiel had accidentally broken Jody Mills’ favourite coffee mug – it had been hand-crafted by one of her daughters. Both Sam and Benny had been in the room at the time and watched at the pieces on the floor in horror. Which had made Castiel worry about his future – both men had known Jody Mills longer than him, and they seemed almost worried for his safety. But as Charlie came in a few seconds later, she had immediately started to make fun of him – a sure sign that he would most likely not lose his job over his clumsiness. But to be on the safe side, he had walked directly to the Captain to tell her about his mistake – and Jody Mills had only nodded and curled her lips in a way that told him it was best to silently retreat right after his apology. The matter had never been discussed again.

Unfortunately however, this time Charlie did not laugh it off, but looked around the room with wide eyes.

“Watching us? Right now?” Charlie whispered even though there was no secrecy in her suspicious glances.

Castiel shook his head no, suddenly feeling very stupid for having mentioned anything. “No. Not anymore. Like I said, it was probably nothing.”

“I don’t know, Cas. I trust your instincts. Did you think there was someone on the street? And you mentioned a smell? Was it someone you know? Maybe it’s just a neighbour or something. Someone you don’t particularly like who was here before. You know, I have that thing with Det Victor Rogers. I know he is supposed to be a good cop and all, but he makes me edgy. And even though I am just a beta, I sometimes feel uneasy out of the blue – and voila, there he is. Took me a while to figure out I am unsettled by his mere scent, even if I could not really say what he smells like.”

Castiel knew who she was talking about – he had never worked with him, but Dean sometimes talked about Det Rogers, and the alpha seemed to share Charlie’s aversion. The detective liked to play good cop in the interrogation room, and he often got a confession. A bit too often, according to Dean.

“Yeah, probably, something like that. It’s nothing, I guess.”

“But maybe … maybe it is just someone who smells _like_ someone you know. As an omega you would easily pick up a familiar scent, right?”

Castiel just shrugged – he wasn’t in the mood of lecturing Charlie about his scenting skills. Betas often made it sound like it was oh-so-easy for omegas, when it really wasn’t. It all depended on how accustomed one was to a specific scent, but it was not like Castiel could track down a mere acquaintance, especially not in a city as big as Greenville. Castiel was sure he would be able to notice Dean in any crowd, probably even Gabriel, just as much as the police station always smelled a little bit like his partner to him, even if Dean was not in the building. But if he went into a crowded bar, he would not be able to notice Benny, and, since she was a beta, Charlie would be even more difficult for him to pick out. On the other hand, Dean was a lot better than him in recognising personal scents, as were most alphas. But Castiel liked to think he was more sensitive in classifying emotions, at least with other omegas. But it was not the almost mind-reading ability Balthazar liked to joke about. Again, it was easier to notice the differences of a mood if you knew someone well, but even if you could easily differentiate between arousal, anger or just confusion – scents that were pretty similar on most people – there were still about a hundred reasons _why_ someone could be angry. And with strangers, you often could divide only the strongest, most basic emotions, like happiness, anger, fear. Not to mention that some people were better at hiding their emotions than others. Dean for example would usually sent out a distinct note for half a second – be it joy or fury or any other strong emotion – but after that first reaction, he was quite good at subduing the emotional nuances in his scent. But it was harder for him around a Full Moon, when every alpha’s emotions seemed to be in a bit of a turmoil already.

The beta still looked at Castiel suspiciously, but he did not want to talk about his potential stalker anymore. What Charlie had said made sense – maybe he had just picked up on a scent that was similar to one he knew. To change the subject, he chose the easiest way he could think of.

“So, how is Dorothy Baum doing? Did her boss finally take her in again?”

Castiel knew the answer already – two weeks ago, Charlie had told him that she _somehow_ found out that Ms. Baum was working as a security guard again. Beforehand, she had been set on an unpaid leave since the police had treated her as a number one suspect in a robbery. Charlie had met the guard for the first time at the station and had been convinced of her innocence immediately. Castiel had been not so sure, but he never said anything. In the end, the police were not able to arrest anyone since the robbers had left no evidence – but Charlie had taken the case to heart, as much as she had Ms Dorothy Baum. Not that the security employee knew anything about that.

“Yes, I…. Mr. Henriksen obviously trusted her enough to take her back again. And he should know. I mean, as her boss, he would never have an employee still work for him if he thought there was even the smallest possibility she was a criminal. SecCo is a pretty prosperous company, and for good reason. I mean, I would love to meet whoever is in charge of their tech.”

“But not as much as you’d like to meet Ms Baum again, I guess,” Castiel added with a smirk he borrowed from Dean.

“Ugh. You know, on Monday, I thought I had an idea for a new angle. There had been a new maintenance company in the house that was hired just a few weeks earlier. And I thought maybe… well, I thought I could solve the case, make everyone see that Dorothy is innocent --- and sweep in as the heroic princess with a magic keyboard.” Charlie sighed and looked down on her T-Shirt with the big Hufflepuff emblem. “But I fear I am only a geeky fangirl.”

“Who knows? Maybe a geeky fangirl is just what Ms Baum likes.”

Charlie grumbled: “No, I’m pretty sure she would like some kick-ass princess. Or at least a Good Witch. Like Hermione.”

“First of all, you are definitely kick-ass materiel. Hermione would be proud of you.” Castiel’s lips twitched – before he had befriended Charlie, he had never imagined he would ever say something like that out loud. “And second, you can’t foresee what another person likes before you get to know them. Look at me and Dean. I always assumed Dean would only fall for someone who is outgoing and daring and flirtatious like he is.”

Finally, Charlie laughed. “Dean? Heck, no. He needs someone to ground him. Someone he can trust. Who will always have his back and believes in him. While _you_ could use someone fun and daring, someone who manages to coax you out of your shell a bit, but still serious enough to make you feel safe. You fit each other perfectly. There is a reason why some of us made a bet on how long it would take the two of you to dance around each other. We started it when Dean brought you to have lunch with us that first time. Man, I have never seen that alpha so smitten with anyone. You know, it was so funny – you blushed and stared at your hands whenever Dean even looked your direction, and Dean always looked so disappointed when you didn’t react in any way to his bad attempts at flirting.”

Castiel raised his eyebrows in disbelief. That had happened a few weeks before their undercover mission. He knew that Dean had set his eyes on Castiel for some time before Little Heaven. But Castiel had not known that the alpha’s friends had been equally convinced they would make a good item. Maybe that was another reason why no one had seemed too surprised when Castiel and Dean had arrived together the day they returned to their old jobs. Castiel could feel himself blush. He sometimes wished his feelings weren’t so obvious on his face.

Charlie leaned forwards and looked Castiel right in the eyes: “But don’t tell anyone I let that slip. Dean made us all promise we would not make you feel uncomfortable. But I think enough time has passed – and you are on for a bit of teasing. Like for example how very prominent that mark on your neck is today. Seriously, I was shocked when Dean let you walk around for a whole day without one.”

Castiel quickly covered his neck with his hand and his face turned to an even deeper shade of red. Charlie just giggled cheerfully.

“But don’t worry. Teasing Dean is a lot more fun than teasing you. We all hope to get you on our side eventually.”

Castiel mumbled something noncommittally, and a few minutes later, the two left the Coffee Shop and walked back to the station. By that time, Castiel had completely forgotten about any possible stalkers.

 

>><< 

 

On Wednesday night, Castiel stayed alone at home, reading the newest Roerson novel, while Dean was out to have a drink with Benny. It had been one of these things they had to work through at the beginning of their relationship: Castiel enjoyed spending an evening with a good book while that was not exactly Dean’s favourite pastime. Castiel had affirmed Dean that it was all right for the alpha to go out with his friends while Castiel stayed at home sometimes. They did not need to spend every minute of every day with each other. The omega even thought that Dean and Benny needed their alone-time just as much as Dean and he did. He didn’t know what was going on exactly, but there had been something off with Benny for some time now. He had behaved a bit awkward around Dean, but Castiel did not know the other alpha well enough to be sure. At the beginning, he had even thought that Benny did not like him, but by now, he got on quite well with the quiet alpha. Maybe he had feared that Dean wouldn’t spend as much time with him as he used to – so Castiel urged Dean to go out with Benny on his own from time to time. It was important not to neglect your old friends just because you had a new partner. At least that was what Balthazar had told Castiel over and over again after he had come back from Little Heaven.

Just as Castiel had sat down in his favourite chair – one he had brought from his old apartment – perfectly settled with a blanket and a hot cup of verbena tea, the doorbell rang. He frowned as his eyes fell on the clock – it was half past eight. Not exactly late, but an unusual time for unannounced visitors.

He walked towards the door, looked through the spyhole and saw a young man in a courier uniform, holding a package. Maybe Dean had ordered something.

Castiel opened the door. “Yes?”

“Mr Castiel Novak?” The young man asked with a bright smile that seemed more professional than heart-felt.

“Yes,” Castiel repeated, but it sounded more like a question since he didn’t wait for any packages. He almost never shopped online, and no one ever sent him presents via mail. Especially not with both his birthday and Christmas a few months away.

“Mr Novak, someone wanted to give you a pleasant surprise. With best wishes from FlowerWords.”

The courier handed him the box, and before Castiel could even blink, the young man was headed down the stairs already. With a light shake of his head, Castiel walked back inside and put the box on the kitchen counter. He opened it and found a very odd-looking flower arrangement of white carnations and a single red rose, embraced by lemongrass – and a twig of thyme. It took a moment before Castiel realised what he was looking at. With a fast beating heart, he searched for something like a return address in the package. There was a short note, but no signature:

_They made me think of you, omega._

Castiel felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He did not believe for a moment that the bouquet had been a present from Dean. First, flowers were not really the alpha’s style – his idea of _romantic_ was a sex weekend in a hotel with room service, and he would not have used the term _omega_ as an endearment, knowing how much Castiel hated it –, and second, even if he bought some, he would hand them to Castiel in person, and not via delivery service while he was out to have a beer with Benny.

But the fact that Castiel did not know who had sent him the bouquet was not what had his heart race, it was the flower arrangement itself that creeped him out.

It was hard to discern one’s own scent, but Castiel had heard more than once that he smelled like lemongrass. Hannah, his best friend in college, had even envied him his scent – because he smelled fresh and clean while she had been all too flowery for her liking. Dean proclaimed there was also something spicy underneath, like thyme or rosemary. And Uriel had always claimed there was a light trace of rose when he was happy, while Dean always said it remembered him more of the carnations in the garden of his childhood home. When his mother had still been alive. Generally, you could never exactly mimic someone’s scent with any form of plants, but you could get pretty close, at least when it came to omegas.

Lemongrass, thyme and carnations – it made the flower bouquet a very personal present. The kind of present Castiel did not want to receive from anyone but his alpha. He thought briefly that even lingerie would have felt less intimate.

Castiel took a deep breath to calm his nerves – which did not help so much since all he could smell now were the flowers in front of him. His first instinct was to call Dean and have him come back home, but what would that help right now. It was just a box of flowers. Maybe someone had only wanted to treat him with a lovely surprise. Maybe, if he sat down for a moment and managed to sort his mind, he would suddenly think of that one person who must be behind that strange prank. But then he remembered the times he had thought someone was watching him during the last few days. And he suddenly felt very alone in his apartment. But since he did not want to freak anyone out, he tried a less direct route on Dean. He texted, trying to sound composed rather than panicked.

_Hello, Dean. I hope you are having fun with Benny. Just a quick question: Did you send me a bouquet of flowers? See you soon, Castiel._

Even as his thumb hit _send_ , Castiel could hear Dean teasing him in his mind about his habit to always write in full sentences. Or maybe he would be too occupied to wonder who had sent his omega flowers.

It seemed to be neither since Castiel received in quick succession:

_No._

_Should I?_

_Have I missed something?_

_I’m sorry, babe._

Castiel almost laughed at the four short texts, imagining that Dean was worrying he had somehow missed an anniversary or something. So he explained:

_No, but a courier has just brought me flowers. There is no signature. I didn’t think they were from you, but I thought I’d ask anyway. It’s a bit strange. Have fun with Benny. We can talk about it later._

Even despite his words, Castiel was not surprised to read _I’m on my way_ a few seconds later. After all, he had hoped Dean would head right home.

When Dean stepped through the door less than fifteen minutes later, his voice sounded surprisingly chipper: “So, you’re having secret admirers, Cas? I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

But Dean’s smile instantly fell when he walked into the kitchen and his eyes landed on the flowers. His nostrils flared, and Castiel knew the alpha was thinking the exact same thing as he had. Dean even let out a growl which somehow made Castiel feel better.

Dean picked up the bouquet and sniffed at it, looked at the box – and let out another growl as he read the card.

“And you don’t know who could have sent this?”

Castiel just shook his head, for a moment uncertain Dean would believe him, but the alpha kept frowning at the flowers.

“Definitely an alpha. No beta would be able to get this nuanced. I mean, it’s not perfect, but close enough. Maybe even as close as you can get.”  Dean looked directly at Castiel for the first time since he had entered the kitchen, and his pose changed instantly. Instead of looking like he was going to punch someone anymore, his expression softened, and he slowly walked towards Castiel to stroke a hand up and down his back until the omega leaned forwards and let his head rest on Dean’s shoulder. The alpha hugged strong arms around Castiel and the omega instantly felt better. After a few minutes, Dean said in a teasing tone that doubtlessly was supposed to lift Castiel’s spirits. “I guess I should be jealous now. Someone really seems to have taken an interest in you. Maybe he is rich and handsome – and you’ll leave me for a boring gardener with a big mansion and his own library.”

But Castiel did not laugh. “There is something else, Dean. I felt like… someone had been watching me. It started on Monday, when we were out bowling.”

“What?” Dean’s whole body tensed again. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Well, it wasn’t that obvious. I thought I was imagining it – with my last heat, and Alastair, and everything, I feared I was just overreacting. And it had not been all the time, just a few seconds a day. So I’d thought it wasn’t important or I was blowing it out of proportion – you know, like when you walk home at night and someone is right behind you, and you feel twitchy – but it turns out it’s just someone walking his dog…” Castiel stopped rambling as he realised that the alpha next to him probably had no idea what he was talking about – he could not imagine Dean getting nervous just because someone walked behind him at night. As an omega, however, Castiel knew that feeling all too well – even though he was far from helpless.

Castiel told Dean about the shadow at the Bowling Hall and the Coffee Shop. He explained how he had not been able to recognise the much-too-faint scent but was sure he knew it from somewhere. When he was finished, Dean let out another growl at the same time as he embraced Castiel even tighter.

“We’ll ask at this FlowerWords tomorrow. See if we can find out something about who made the order. And I’ll stick around you for a day or two. Maybe together, we will find out who is watching you.” That made sense. Dean was better at recognizing scents than Castiel and he basically knew everyone Castiel did. “But it’s probably just the barista from your favourite Coffee Shop who thinks he can impress you with this little present. Then you can tell him you are very much taken – and that will be it. Okay?”

Castiel nodded and was grateful that Dean neither seemed to think he was being paranoid, nor did he make a big deal out of it.

But as they went to bed a while later, Castiel noticed how tense Dean still was even though the alpha had managed to calm Castiel down. And as he woke up once during the night, Dean did not seem to have moved an inch from his position to hold Castiel close to his chest, and neither did he seem to be asleep. As the room was softly illuminated from the outside, Castiel thought it might not have been the best time to receive a gift from a secret admirer – only a few days before the Full Moon.

 

>><< 

 

Castiel knew that Dean had said he would stay around him for a while, but he had not thought Dean would be quite so literal about it. He had expected that they would drive to and from work together and that Dean would join him during lunchbreaks – he had not even been surprised when the alpha insisted they went to the Coffee Shop Castiel had visited with Charlie. But it seemed like every time Castiel left his office, Dean was there. Even if he just wanted to make tea in the break room. But Dean’s presence did not help since Castiel did not smell the unwelcome scent again and neither did he feel observed. Other than by his own boyfriend who looked around grimly like he might be ready to attack just anyone after the smallest indication from Castiel.

They stopped by at FlowerWords – just to find out that the client had paid in cash and did not leave any address. There were no security cameras, and the cashier could not remember the customer. He thought it was a man, was as much as he could say. Castiel had hoped that someone who ordered such a strange and specific bouquet would have been more memorable.

But Dean seemed to be even more disappointed than him; the alpha was obviously furious that someone had made his partner feel uneasy and he wanted to punch someone for it; anyone, really. In the end, Castiel had to haul his almost-mate out of the flower shop before he intimidated the poor florist more than necessary. When they walked back to the police station, people went out of their way, intent to avoid the disgruntled alpha. And for some reason, Dean’s overprotective behaviour made Castiel feel better, if only because he could get slightly irritated by Dean – and he preferred being irritated a lot to being scared. Suddenly the whole situation just seemed laughable, really.

That was until Friday, when Castiel finally figured out what that smell was.

At around ten a.m., Charlie rushed into Castiel’s office. Since Frank had called in sick once again, Dean sat in the other researcher’s chair. After he had checked on Castiel three times in two hours, the alpha had just brought his laptop, claiming he could just as easily write his report here. Castiel thought that Dean was being a bit ridiculous, but he didn’t think it was worth arguing over. Usually, Dean accepted that Castiel wanted to keep their love life out of their professional one – but it was obvious that the alpha was worried. And with the Full Moon only a day away, Dean tended to get a bit overbearing – like most alphas Castiel knew.

“We have another one, Cas,” Charlie almost yelled in excitement.

“Another what?”

“Another theft. This time 1.5 million dollars and a precious painting. The same MO as the last one. Cameras on an old loop, power went out for just a moment. And SecCo is involved again.”

It was the last bit of information that finally explained Charlie’s enthusiasm. Dean also seemed to catch up, if his rising eyebrow was any indication.

“They just brought in one of the victims. He wanted to buy some old painting and brought the money in cash. They wanted to do the exchange at the house of the collector – who is a customer of SecCo. There was even security personnel present. That’s so great!”

“Wait a minute,” Dean interrupted. “How is that great? Wouldn’t it have been better for you if SecCo was not involved this time? I mean, you said that your Dorothy just started to work again. A bit suspicious, don’t you think?”

“Not to mention that the victims will hardly consider this to be great in any way, shape or form,” Castiel added.

“But Dorothy was not involved this time. A Gordon Walker and Jesse Cuevas where there. Both knocked out in the moment of power loss, as well as the owner of the painting,” Charlie explained, ignoring Castiel’s comment altogether. Then she blushed. “And she is not _my_ Dorothy. She hardly knows I exist.”

But Castiel almost didn’t hear her last comment as Dean shouted out: “What? Gordon? He’s working for SecCo?”

“You know him?” Charlie asked – and her bright smile might have had something to do with Dean’s repulsed tone.

“Course I know him. I used to work with that son of a bitch. Years ago.”

“What happened?”

“Well, short version: He got thrown out of the force. First, some drugs in the evidence compartment went missing. I immediately suspected he had something to do with it. And then he tried to hide the murder weapon, a knife, in the house of one of our major suspects in a murder case – just so he would be able to find it and make himself look like he was the greatest cop of all time. I caught him red-handed and called him in. Later, it even turned out the suspect had not been the killer and we might have arrested an innocent bystander if he had been successful with his scheme. But anyway, Gordon got fired. And good riddance. I think he was even forcing some vulnerable omegas to sleep with him – in exchange for _protection_.” Dean growled the last words out. “But we could never find anyone willing to testify against him. So, in the end, he only got sacked.”

“Wow, then he would make a way better suspect than Dorothy.” Charlie turned to Castiel and tried for a professional tone: “Anyway, they have the buyer here and want you to get some information on the painting. They are waiting for you. Benny is talking to the guy.”

“What?” Castiel stood up so quickly his chair nearly fell to the ground, and Dean muttered to Charlie: “Should have started with that one, kiddo.”

The three hurried through the corridors, Dean right on Castiel’s tail. But even before they arrived at Benny’s desk, the omega knew who would be waiting there.

This time the scent was strong enough for him to recognise it. Damp wood in a fire. He used to think it was warm and welcoming – until he had noticed the stink beneath the warmth. It had been nearly four years since the last time he smelled it.

Castiel’s steps had slowed down considerately and he was not surprised when Dean suddenly stepped in front of him, body tense, and even a low rumbling escaped his throat. Dean could not know whom he was about to meet, but he surely picked up on the change of scent coming from Castiel. Even Charlie instantly noticed there was something wrong as she stopped and looked at Castiel in astonishment.

The big man sitting across from Benny slowly turned around and rose from his chair. There was a bright smile on his face.

“Castiel? Is that really you?” He said, completely ignoring Dean and his threatening growls.

And all Castiel could stutter out was: “Uriel?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments always make me happy. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**THREE**

 

The big man sitting across from Benny slowly turned around and rose from his chair. There was a bright smile on his face.

“Castiel? Is that really you?” he said, completely ignoring Dean and his threatening growls.

Castiel felt paralysed for three long seconds. What was Uriel doing here in Greenville? Was he here because of work? Or something else? Charlie had mentioned a painting. It figured – Uriel had always been interested in art, or rather he had always been interested in everything expensive he could show off to his friends or colleagues. Uriel came from a rich family – and had never been humble about that fact, constantly making Castiel feel like he should be grateful he had made such a great catch. Which had been at least one of the reasons for Uriel’s confusion when Castiel had insisted on renting his own place after university – even though he could only afford a small apartment from his salary as a trainee in the police force. But then again, Uriel had also never understood why Castiel wanted to get a job – he should have rather mated with him, become pregnant and stay at home with a litter of Uriel’s children. At first, Castiel had thought they had just a minor disagreement, that Uriel would see his viewpoint that there was still time for mating and kids after Castiel had worked for a few years. After all, they had started a relationship while they were studying at a university together – the idea that Uriel thought this was some kind of matchmaking market for omegas never even crossed Castiel’s mind. But the alpha had obviously wanted an educated mate, who would be able to have a conversation with his colleagues – and the fact that Castiel had no family only seemed to help Uriel to make himself look like some sort of selfless hero. Castiel had tried to reason with Uriel that after he grew up in a children’s home, and then had lived in a dormitory with Hannah, he wanted to be on his own for a while, to be independent and self-reliant. Turned out, Uriel was not interested in any of those things when it came to omegas. And he had spent years trying to form Castiel into the perfect mate for his liking.

It had taken a painfully long time until Castiel fully realised what was happening – and even longer until he had been able to leave his boyfriend. As he stood opposite the tall man – who just seemed to have gotten bigger, but somehow, at the same time, he seemed smaller to him – Castiel remembered the last time he had seen Uriel, after he had tried to force him with his Alpha Voice once again. Castiel remembered how he had waited on the bed of the motel in Arlington that night, not knowing what he should do next. And how that bleak room had become his home for months.

For three seconds Castiel was overwhelmed with a wave of memories, disconnected pictures and feelings, until he realised that Dean was clenching his fists, ready to hit someone even if he didn’t know why, how Charlie glanced rapidly from him to Uriel and back again, and how even Benny seemed uncertain if he should just wrestle the stranger to the ground. Uriel just kept smiling, seemingly oblivious to the tension around him. Castiel thought he should probably try to explain what was going on before anyone got hurt by mistake. But he had still problems to fully comprehend who had stepped into his life again.

And all Castiel could stutter out was: “Uriel?”

It might have been the wrong thing to say since now Dean’s rumbling turned into a real snarl and the alpha looked furiously first at Castiel, then back at the stranger.

Uriel still didn’t look at Dean, which was fortunate since the alpha would probably attack after the briefest eye contact, but his glance wandered over Castiel’s form, and a stupid – stupid! – part of Castiel’s brain worried that his tie was as crooked as usual, and his hair was in disarray, also as usual, while his ex looked as neat as a pin. Uriel’s glance stayed at Castiel’s marked neck for a second, and finally, his smile faltered slightly. But still, the alpha said amiably: “What a coincidence. I didn’t expect to see you here, Castiel. Of course, it’s a _lovely_ surprise.”

Castiel didn’t think he was the most talented at detecting lies, but he surely was not so naïve as to believe Uriel for one second. He now knew what that light trace of scent was that had been hunting him for days – and felt almost stupid he had not recognized it sooner. But he did not believe that Uriel had been coincidentally at the same places as Castiel. Just the thought of him in a Bowling Hall made Castiel almost snort out in laughter. If Uriel had not changed profoundly over the years, bowling was simply beneath him, a plebeian amusement for commoners. Uriel himself would rather go out to engage in a panel discussing Proust or Kafka – something Castiel had been impressed by when they first met, but now he just thought it was ridiculously pompous. And even if he had coincidentally been on the same street as the Bowling Hall on Monday night, Castiel had still smelled him various times afterwards. And it seemed unlikely that Uriel had never noticed him.

As he looked into the still smiling face of the alpha, Castiel remembered how he had constantly looked over his shoulder the last week, maybe not in fear exactly, but definitely a bit nervous. And then there were the flowers. For Castiel, it was not a mystery anymore who must have sent them.  And as he thought about all those things, Castiel was pretty sure he would not allow Dean to land the first blow. If anyone was going to punch Uriel today, it would be Castiel.

“So, Cas, you know Mr Garrison here?” Charlie asked in the silence that had stretched out for another few long seconds. Right. There were other persons in the large open space office – maybe punching wasn’t the best way to proceed. He looked at the red-haired beta for a moment, in an attempt to divert himself from his mixed-up memories. Dean was still growling, but nothing more, and Castiel thought it was best to ignore him for another minute, let him calm down a bit. At least he had not attacked anyone, yet.

“Yes. Uriel and I had been in a relationship, back when I lived in Arlington.” Castiel explained to Charlie in a surprisingly neutral tone. Then he turned to the alpha without really looking at him and tried to calm everyone, including himself, with blank civility: “Uriel, may I introduce you to Charlie Bradbury, she works with the tech department; Dean Winchester, a detective of the Greenville PD, and of course, you have already met Benny Lafitte. Everyone, this is Uriel Garrison.”

He had deliberately mentioned Dean in between – like he hoped no one would notice him and his strange behaviour if he didn’t add more attention to him. And by no one, he mostly meant Uriel.

Charlie let out a cough instead of a greeting, and Castiel was glad she didn’t say anything provocative. Both Charlie and Benny knew Castiel had been in a somewhat unhappy relationship before, but they didn’t know any details and probably thought it had been nothing worse than a bad break-up. Benny briefly looked at Castiel and Charlie, wisely ignoring Dean as well, before he cleared his throat.

“As Charlie has probably told you already, Castiel, there has been a robbery. An expensive painting got stolen, as well as 1.5 million dollars in cash. We wanted to ask you if you could investigate about the painting. For that you would probably need more information from Mr Garrison, who had planned to purchase it.” Dean made a step towards Uriel and Benny, completely blocking Castiel from their view as well as slowly losing distance between himself and Uriel; and Benny hastily added: “But we can easily just send you an e-mail…”

But Dean did not seem to register Benny’s attempt to conciliate, he just kept his eyes on Uriel – who still managed not to look directly at Dean. But Castiel could feel the air tickle like it was electrically charged and he knew it would only be a matter of seconds until at least one of the alphas would lose control.

“Dean,” came a calm and even voice from behind Castiel. Everyone except the addressed turned around. Captain Jody Mills stood behind them and, slowly, Castiel realised they were making some kind of a spectacle. There was a small crowd around them, keeping a safe distance. Everyone at the desks seemed to have stopped working and stared at the small group. Castiel saw Sam right behind Jody. Balthazar stood near the elevator, looking confused. Eileen was the only one staring at her monitor like nothing interesting happened, bless her.

“Dean,” the Captain repeated. “Why don’t we let Benny handle the theft, and you and Castiel come with me into my office? We could talk about your meeting with the district attorney this afternoon.”

She had phrased her request in a smart way, Castiel thought. It would not have helped anyone if she had pressured Dean with a direct order. It might have been the last straw to tick him off. But as it was, Dean slowly retreated from Uriel and walked towards Jody Mills. His hand twitched, but Dean resisted the urge to grab Castiel when he walked past him.

Once his alpha was on the same level as the Captain, Castiel said in a calm voice: “It’s all right, Captain, I will talk with Mr Garrison and do my job.” Dean froze in his movements, and Castiel raised his chin. He added in a low voice he hoped no one but the small group around him could hear: “I’m in an open space office, with Benny right beside me. I will join you soon.”

He then quickly laid his hand on Dean’s shoulder in a deliberate move. He did not want to give the surrounding crowd a show of a love-sick couple, but he knew the simple gesture would give Dean a clear sample of his scent. Castiel was not scared, or even worried. Not anymore. If anything, he was pissed. And Castiel knew from experience that it was so much easier for Dean to deal with a furious Castiel than with a timid one.

And really, what could happen?

He still wasn’t sure why the alpha had been following him, but Castiel was in a house full of police officers. Uriel would not dare to insult him here, much less hurt him in any other way. And even if he did try something – Castiel had managed to fight Uriel off before. And at that time, he had not faced a couple of serial killers in their home town. In comparison, Uriel did not look too threatening.

On top of all that, Castiel did not want anyone else to think he was too scared to deal with his ex-boyfriend, nor did he want them to believe he would back down from a case because of his current, jealous partner. Because he was pretty sure that was what it looked like to most of their spectators.

“Go, Dean, I have a job to do.”

With an unreadable expression on his face, Dean turned around and followed Jody and Sam without even trying to argue.

“Oh, good boy. Where have you found such a sweet alpha, Castiel?” Uriel asked in a taunting tone. Since everyone in the big room still seemed paralysed, his voice was loud enough to carry.

Just when Castiel feared this might have put Dean over the edge, his alpha turned around with a somewhat creepy smile and said with as much Alpha in his voice as Castiel might have ever heard: “Sit down, Uriel.”

Uriel sat on his chair so quickly that there were a few chuckles around. Dean only walked away with a smirk on his face that didn’t reach his eyes while Sam whispered at him: “Dean! You’re on duty.”

Usually Castiel might have chided Dean about his behaviour, but right now, he didn’t mind too much. He was pretty sure this small display of power was the only thing that allowed Dean to walk away. And Castiel needed him to walk away – otherwise, there might be a bloody spectacle after all.

When Dean left the room, Castiel realised with a sigh that everyone else started working again. With the alpha gone, there was no chance of an interesting fight anymore. And Castiel congratulated himself that he had showed everyone he did not need his alpha to hold his hand nor did he need Dean’s permission to do his job.

Benny sat down as well while Uriel tried to look nonchalant – but Castiel could see how furious he was that Dean had made him look weak. Castiel assumed Dean would have never been able to order him into anything if it hadn’t come as such a surprise, and certainly not for longer than a second. The Alpha Voice usually worked best on omegas, but it was also possible with betas or, yes, even other alphas. Castiel would have never called Uriel naturally compliant, but Dean was quite forceful – and had managed to catch him off-guard. However, Dean would definitely not be able to repeat that trick since Uriel would not give him another chance. But Castiel had to admit, even if he did not usually like to see anyone being forced by the Alpha Voice, he had wickedly enjoyed watching Uriel getting a taste of his own medicine. And Castiel knew Dean would never use it on anyone he considered weaker than him. Well, Castiel thought with a flutter in his stomach, at least not outside of the bedroom.

“So… I see you finally mated, Castiel. Congratulations, I guess.” Castiel lifted an eyebrow in surprise – but with the mark on his neck and the strong scent of Dean on him, it was an easy mistake on Uriel’s side. One that Castiel hat no intention to correct since for him it was as good as true. “Even though he looks a bit like a lumberjack, don’t you think?”

It had been one of the days where Dean had not bothered with office guidelines and came dressed in his preferred outfit of flannel and heavy boots. Of course, in comparison with Uriel’s expensive suit and polished leather shoes, he probably looked a bit shabby. Not that Castiel would have Dean any other way. He opened his mouth to say something of the like, but Benny interrupted:

“We are here to talk about the object that had been stolen from you, or rather from Mr Ishim who, unfortunately, is still in the hospital. So maybe you can save your pleasantries for later, Mr Garrison. If Castiel feels like he is in the mood for chit-chat, that is.”

The next half hour Uriel paraphrased the theft again – for the tenth time that day as he stated – and handed Castiel a copy of the insurance papers of the painting as well as the certificate. Castiel thought it was an odd thing to steal – selling stolen diamonds was hard enough, but to find a buyer for an expensive painting said the thief must have connections. As they talked more about the case, Castiel was glad he sat there with Benny. He could not say that he and Dean’s best friend had a close relationship – not like Castiel did with Sam and Charlie, or even Donna – but he knew that Benny was very disciplined, and it was hard to goad him. Probably one reason why he and Dean could be such good friends. On the other hand, Benny was still an alpha – and he was not intimidated by Uriel nor did he allow him to turn their conversation any more personal than necessary.

So when Uriel explained: “No, I don’t have a husband. You know, I am hard to satisfy. And I look for a very special omega before I will even mate.” Benny just continued without responding in any way – or acknowledging the look Uriel gave Castiel.

“We will need you to leave an address for us. One of my colleagues is currently talking to Mr Ishim at the hospital and afterwards we compare our information. We’ll inform you as soon as we’ll find anything,” Benny added in a tone that made the last statement sound like a dismissal.

“So what? I just go home and wait?”

“Exactly,” Benny replied. “I can assure you that we will do anything in our power to retain your money.”

Castiel rose from his chair at the same time as Benny, but Uriel stayed where he was.

“Can I at least get my papers back?”

“Of course,” Benny nodded and started to walk away to get Uriel’s passport or whatever he had collected earlier. But then he hesitated and looked at Castiel for a moment. The omega only rolled his eyes – it was obvious that Uriel wanted to talk to him alone for a moment. And Castiel was oddly curious, so he sat down again.

As soon as Benny was out of hearing range, Uriel said: “So, you are still with the police. I admit I am surprised, Castiel.” He leaned forwards. “But you could have found someone better than that Winchester, I am sure.”

“What? Like you?”

“At least I would have been able to afford a better lifestyle for you.”

“No, thank you. I’d rather be independent than a spoiled little pet with no opinion.”

To Castiel’s surprise, Uriel chuckled. “Still feisty I see. I like that.”

It had always been the strangest thing. For years after their breakup, Castiel had wondered why Uriel had even wanted him, why he had not looked for a nice compliant omega to begin with. But he had concluded that Uriel liked their little fights in a way – as long as he would win in the end.

“How long have you been following me?” Castiel asked abruptly and was surprised when Uriel chuckled instead of pretending he didn’t know what Castiel was talking about.

“So you noticed me? I’m flattered you still remember my scent.” When Castiel did not reply, he explained: “I am here on business, the art deal was just a bonus. And when I walked back from a meeting on Monday night, imagine my surprise when I smelled you.” Uriel took in a deep breath and closed his eyes like he was savouring a good memory. “Delicious as ever.”

Castiel repressed the urge to vomit, right here on Benny’s desk.

“I wouldn’t say I _followed_ you, exactly. Greenville is just not that big of a city, is it?”

“And the flowers?” Castiel asked, teeth grinding.

“Flowers?” Uriel’s brows furrowed, and Castiel was not sure whether he pretended his ignorance or not. Then, suddenly, Uriel reached forwards and covered Castiel’s fingers with his hand. There was a smug smile on his face. “I missed you, Castiel. And I’m sure you must have thought about me over the years. If you want to give this another shot, I’ll buy you any flowers you want.”

“Never mind,” Castiel pulled his hand back and stood. “I hope you get your money back, Uriel. Or even the painting. Have a nice trip home.”

“Wait.”

Castiel turned around again, even though it felt like a mistake. He noticed how his co-workers, who had only glanced once or twice in their direction for the last half hour, started to stare again, but Uriel’s voice was low enough that probably no one heard him.

“Come see me. Let’s have a drink, this afternoon. I’m currently residing in the hotel Peaceful Haven. I’ll wait for you in the lobby at four. Just to talk. What do you think?”

Without another word, Castiel walked away.

He headed directly to his small office and was not surprised to see Dean already waiting there. The alpha pulled him into his arms immediately, and Castiel let him breathe in his scent, even bared his neck to give Dean full access. He was surprised Dean had been this patient and had not stormed between Castiel and Uriel in the last hour. Dean pulled Castiel’s hand up and growled at it. Castiel almost chuckled, then he remembered how Uriel had touched him. Still in a tight embrace, he sneaked his hand under Dean’s shirt and the alpha seemed happy at Castiel’s way of getting rid of Uriel’s light trace on him.

After what felt like an eternity, Dean took a step back again, still standing close.

“So… I am guessing Uriel was the one you’ve been smelling the last couple of days.”

“Yes, that is correct.”

Dean growled. “That son of a bitch.”

“Yes,” Castiel breathed out with a hint of a smile. “I think he is under the delusion he can trigger some happy memories and I will fall right back into his arms again.”

“He’s really stupid then.”

“Seems so. Strange, I never considered him _stupid_ before.”

“Well, you are special. That can make a guy delusional. I sure would regret it for the rest of my life if I ever let you go,” Dean murmured into Castiel’s ear.

And the police researcher felt a pleasant flutter in his stomach at the words of his alpha. But something didn’t seem right to Castiel. Even if he had been the one who brought up Uriel’s attempt to win Castiel back, he did not believe for a second that Uriel had been sad about their break-up for all those years. Or that his coming to Greenville had anything to do with Castiel. After all, Uriel thought Castiel was mated – there was no way in hell Uriel would want a marked omega for himself.

 

>><< 

 

Castiel had tried to concentrate on work again after Uriel’s departure – but he could not really stop thinking about his ex. The fact that he was currently trying to find out everything there was to know about that certain landscape the alpha had tried to purchase --- well, it didn’t make it any easier to forget about Uriel. Even though they now knew who the scent belonged to, Dean stayed in the same office as Castiel – and the omega did not know if he was pleased about it or if it just made things worse. He definitely felt guiltier that he constantly thought about Uriel. But since Dean had behaved himself during Castiel’s talk with his former boyfriend of nearly four years, the omega didn’t want to ban Dean from his office.

They went out for a quick lunch with Benny, Sam and Charlie, all of them quiet and somewhat careful around Dean, and overly friendly towards Castiel. It irritated Castiel how everyone seemed to think it was necessary to treat him like an invalid. And he didn’t even get the chance clear his head since the conversation revolved mostly on the case of the stolen painting – and the money – even though everyone tried very hard not to even hint at the victims. Castiel had hoped they would avoid the subject altogether, but with Charlie virtually bubbling with excitement, it was nearly impossible. The young beta was just so hopeful that they might finally be able to exonerate Dorothy Baum, especially since she had not been directly involved this time.

“I wouldn’t be so sure she is of the hook now, Charlie,” drawled Benny, who had always at least suspected the female guard was involved. “I mean, there is that coincidence that this robbery happened just a couple of weeks after she had started over at SecCo again.”

“Pfft. I am sure at least Victor Henriksen will agree with me. As the owner of SecCo, he wouldn’t have taken her back without thinking it through. And I’d say he knows his employees better than you.”

Castiel oppressed the urge to tell Charlie that Benny had worked on the case just as much as her, and in direct collaboration with SecCo, not to mention that Henriksen was an old army buddy of him. It would have come out more vicious than he meant it – and it wasn’t Charlie’s fault that he was in such a foul mood nor that he felt oddly grateful towards Benny, who had handled the talk with Uriel perfectly; determined but without much drama.

Dean scoffed: “Yeah, some people skills he has, I am sure. I’m sorry, kiddo, but anyone who employs someone of the likes of Gordon Walker clearly does not care about decency in his staff.”

Benny turned to Dean with a jerk of his head: “What do you mean?”

Dean repeated his earlier dealings with Gordon – and how he was glad that the man had at least lost his job with the police force, so he could not steal any evidence anymore or intimidate poor omegas.

 “If you ask me, he just moved on to stealing things he was meant to protect,” Dean mumbled grumpily – and Castiel was somewhat relieved that his alpha’s anger was temporarily on someone other than his ex-boyfriend. “And like I said, that Henriksen guy surely is not that emphatic.”

“Oh, really, Dean?” Sam interrupted with a raised eyebrow. “As I remember it, you have been gushing about that new partner at the beginning. Said he was so cool and not one of those stiff idiots you had to work with before.”

Dean blushed. “Well, maybe. But it had not taken me long until I realised what an asshole he is.”

“Then Victor probably doesn’t know about his past. You said yourself he was never charged with anything – and there are many reasons someone would leave the police work behind. We all know that former officers often find new jobs within the security business. If you are lucky, it might even pay better after a while. At least SecCo pays fair wages.”

It was not only Castiel who looked at Benny with sudden suspicion, but Dean frowned at him, and Charlie even leaned forwards and whispered to him: “Are you planning to change your profession, Benny?”

“Yeah, are you planning on leaving us behind?” Dean asked, and Sam added: “Maybe he likes that Mr Henriksen better than us.”

“No, that can’t be it, Sammy, who would like anyone better than me?” Dean replied with a cocky smile in Benny’s direction. “I bet it’s the money.”

Benny blushed heavily under the four sets of eyes on him. “What? No! I’m just saying. Maybe they just didn’t know that Gordon has some skeletons in his closet. Maybe … we should tell Victor about it.”

With that statement, both Dean and Charlie seemed to be satisfied – but Castiel kept glancing at Benny during the rest of their lunch break. The alpha definitely still looked flustered, as much as he tried to hide it. Sam frowned as well, and then changed the subject abruptly to everyone’s weekend plans – which earned a groan from both Charlie and Benny since they two had to work.

When they returned back to the precinct, Dean followed Castiel to his small office again and sat down on Frank’s empty chair once more. And this time, Castiel really was a bit miffed.

“You know, Dean, you can go sit at your own desk again. We know now where that scent came from – and it is not likely that Uriel will come in and assault me in a police station. Or anywhere else for that matter.”

Dean flashed him a smile that looked all too forced and said: “Oh come on, Cas, it’s not often we can work together in a room. I just want to take advantage of Frank’s sick day. Besides, it’s much cosier in here than at my desk where a hundred people walk about. And I need to finish those reports.”

Castiel bit his bottom lip. Frank Deveraux called in sick a lot – and never before had Dean suggested he should use his desk. It was true that concentrating was a lot easier in Castiel’s small place than at the big open space office where Dean usually sat, but it had never seemed to bother the alpha before. Castiel would have said no at any other occasion anyway, because he generally wanted to act professional while they were at work – he didn’t want to spark any more rumours than necessary. And with their come-together-story, Castiel believed they had produced enough gossip to last a lifetime. Dean did not seem to have any such reservations – or he wouldn’t constantly try to seduce Castiel to have sex with him basically anywhere in the building. But usually, whenever they were in company, the alpha behaved. And maybe it was not that horrible that he stayed in the same office as Castiel for one day, but after Dean’s little alpha outbreak this morning, in front of the whole station, Castiel was a little on edge. He readily admitted he was a bit sensitive on the subject, but he didn’t want his colleagues to think he needed an alpha to look after him. He had fought his whole life against the stereotype of being a vulnerable, helpless omega. And sometimes, he fought against that warm feeling inside him when Dean acted a bit protective in public.  

“Oh, Cassie.” Castiel looked up and into the grinning eyes of Balthazar, who was suddenly standing in the open door. “I just wanted to ask if you needed anything, but I see Dean is already on watchdog duty.”

The beta said it with a laugh – and it sounded like he obviously approved of Dean’s presence. Castiel wanted to respond with a snarky reply, but after a little fist bump with Dean – that had Castiel’s jaw hang open in disbelief – Balthazar was out of the door again. Dean on the other hand just stared at his notebook as if he was deeply lost in concentration. Castiel considered to argue, to just throw Dean out of his office, but in the end, he settled for a very loud, very displeased scoff and returned to his work.

He better had just imagined the small smirk around Dean’s lips.

One of the biggest upsides of their lunch break had been that Castiel had managed to think about something other than Uriel for a while – but as soon as he was back at his desk, his ex became the centre of his thoughts again. Castiel was surprised that he was not too bothered about his surprising meeting with Uriel as such. Considering that Uriel had made him feel intimidated and insecure for at least during the last unfortunate years of their relationship, Castiel had been astonished how furious he had been to find out Uriel had stalked him. But now he was mostly confused, and, in all honesty, also a little bit curious.

He hoped his currently detached feelings were no indication that he was going into shock. But there seemed to be more urgent questions for the moment.

Had Uriel really not sent the flowers? It would have made perfect sense. Whoever had ordered the bouquet must have been very close to Castiel at some point; not just a random barista like Dean had joked about – and Uriel would easily remember Castiel’s scent so accurately, even though the omega might not have thought him so skilled to pick the perfect combination of flowers. But why would the alpha lie? He had admitted to _accidentally_ stalking Castiel, why then would he not confess to sending him a present? But on the other hand, Uriel had not made any definite comment about the subject, had he? Castiel looked at the clock, realising almost absent-mindedly that it was half past three. Uriel had asked him to visit at four. Not that Castiel planned on going. But the hotel was only about a block away. He could theoretically just sneak out on a coffee break. What would be the harm of meeting Uriel in a crowded hotel bar in the middle of the day? Maybe he would tell Castiel about the flowers when they were alone.

Castiel was still deep in thought when suddenly Donna knocked at the open door and turned to Dean.

“Hey, Dean. Attorney Sunder is here to talk to you. Says she’s been waiting at your desk for ten minutes already. Did you forget about her in all the excitement?” Donna asked with a knowing smile – that only had Castiel huff out again.

Castiel imagined he would have forgotten all about a possible meeting with Uriel, would have stayed patiently at his desk until Dean was done and they would both leave for home in the alpha’s Impala – if not for Dean’s reaction. The alpha stood up, and then looked down at Castiel with a mixture of worry and … pity?

“Will you be alright for an hour, sweetheart? I’ll try to make it quick.”

At that, Castiel could feel his own scent explode in anger and frustration. Dean took a step backwards and his frown deepened. Donna was about to say something, but Castiel didn’t give her the chance.

“Yes, Dean, I will be perfectly fine. In my office. Where I work every day. Usually without a babysitter.”

Dean looked a bit hurt but chose not to reply, which was probably smart, and followed Donna out of the room. And then, without thinking about anything other than how Dean had handled him with kid gloves for the whole day, in an attempt to show himself he was an adult and he could make his own decisions, Castiel pulled on his coat and was out on the street and down to Uriel’s hotel in less than ten minutes.

Peaceful Haven – it was hard to miss, being probably the number one address for people with vast bank accounts in the whole area. Castiel waited a moment in front of the big windows that allowed pedestrians a look inside the lobby – surely to make any normal person turn green with envy.

And as he stood there, Castiel realised he was being stupid.

He did not need to talk to Uriel. Actually, he had spent almost a year after their break-up, trying to avoid talking to him at any cost. He remembered the horrible months he had stayed at a cheap motel, first because he wanted to hide from Uriel, then because he had lost his first job with the police and could not afford anything else. The whole time he had feared he would run into Uriel by chance. He had only felt at ease once he had moved to Greenville, assuming it was so far away he had to never even see Uriel Garrison again, the man who had been so charming until he tried to turn Castiel into a sweet and compliable house omega. Tried to tame him, as he had called it on a few occasions.

And as he stood on the pavement, paralysed while the sky above him rumbled in a promise of rain, Castiel could see it might not have been the most reasonable decision to visit his ex, just to prove to himself that he could. He even admitted he might not have been too fair to his almost-mate. Dean would have left him alone if Castiel had asked him directly instead of just shooting him glances in an unhealthy passive-aggressive kind of way. A way that had allowed Dean to ignore him – or maybe he had really not realised how Castiel felt. Since their relationship still felt to Castiel like they had not yet left the honeymoon phase behind, he sometimes tended to forget that Dean could not actually read his mind. And as long as his emotions were not that strong in his scent, Dean could be pretty dense about certain things. Castiel knew his alpha was protective – it was as much Dean’s strong point as it was his flaw. And maybe, just maybe, Castiel had been so furious with him because seeing Uriel had in fact rattled him – and he wanted to do nothing more than snuggle up to Dean in their home, where their shared scent was everywhere, and he would feel his alpha’s strong arms around him.

But he did not want to act like any vulnerable omega. He wanted to be this tough guy who had been on a dangerous undercover mission for weeks, who shrugged it off when one of his assailants got a surprisingly mild verdict, and who was not even the smallest bit fazed when he met his abusive ex-boyfriend again.

But that was stupid, wasn’t it? There was nothing wrong with admitting to one’s fears and letting others take care of you – hell, he told Dean as much on a weekly basis.

Castiel shook his head to clear his mind and was just about to leave when he noticed a movement on the other side of the window.

It was Uriel, waving at him, with a charming smile on his lips.

Too late now. Castiel closed his eyes for a moment and considered running away, but he didn’t want to give Uriel the satisfaction to see him so disturbed. Maybe he could still ask about those flowers. At least that way he had a rational excuse to meet with the alpha.

Castiel took a deep breath and walked inside the building, where Uriel was meeting him with an eager expression.

“Ah, Castiel, I knew you’d come,” Uriel said in a low voice that had always sounded comforting to Castiel in the beginning of their relationship. “Let’s have a drink at the bar, shall we? You still like Champagne with a hint of strawberry syrup?”

Castiel rolled his eyes at Uriel’s attempt to charm him – a habit he had learned from either Dean or Charlie and was using way too often these days.

“No, thank you. This was a mistake. I am sorry.”

Castiel was about to turn around and leave, but Uriel grabbed his arm. Castiel looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a cold expression, while he hoped the unwanted pang of fear was not too noticeable in his scent. Uriel let him go immediately, but his eyes glinted with anger as the alpha stared at the mark on Castiel’s neck. Uriel even let out a low growl that had one or two heads turn in the lobby. Sensing the attention, the alpha managed to calm himself to another charming smile.

“No, please, stay. Now that you are already here, let’s have a drink. Recall some of the old times together? And I know you do like your _strawberry bubble_.”

Castiel had to blink three times to that before he could respond, in a surprisingly even voice: “You want us to talk about the good old times, do you? Like when you tried to force me with your Alpha Voice? Or when you explained that an omega really doesn’t need a job – looking after your husband and a litter of pubs would be enough? Or when you yelled at me for not cleaning the house like I was supposed to do?”

Uriel’s smile did not falter, but his eyes turned cold. “Now, you make it sound like it was all bad. You loved me. I know you did.” For some reason, that statement cut right under Castiel’s skin, because it was true. And because he still blamed himself for it. “And I could have given you an easy life. You wouldn’t have had to work, with me as a mate. But that… that Winchester guy? A mere detective, really, Castiel? He can hardly just fly you to Barbados and back for a weekend. And you know how much fun we had on that beach…” Castiel only scoffed – in his eyes, that weekend had not even been half as pleasant as Uriel seemed to remember. But Uriel did not seem to care about his thoughts as he went on: “I’m sure you’ll regret your decision sooner rather than later, Castiel. And then you will think back about me and what a sheltered life you could have had. But with that mark? No one will ever look at you again.”

To his own surprise, Castiel calmed down again. It somehow grounded him to see that Uriel obviously hadn’t changed a bit. He was now sure that Uriel had no longer any feelings for him – the alpha was just furious Castiel had mated with someone else. Especially after Uriel had tried to convince him to do just that for the better part of nearly four years. Castiel suddenly felt very tired and wished he could spend a whole week on a soft couch, with ice-cream and a certain alpha.

“It doesn’t matter what might happen in the future, Uriel. And I’m not here to reminisce. I just wanted to ask you about those flowers. Did you really not send me a bouquet two days ago?”

Uriel hesitated, then he almost bent over in bellowing laughter. “So, you have a secret admirer, Castiel? Really, that alpha of yours doesn’t seem to be worth a dime. Can’t even keep others off his property. Not to mention that he allowed you to meet with a former lover.”

Castiel felt a mixture of anger and guilt. Anger at Uriel’s old-fashioned ideas – and guilt because Dean did not know where he went. Not that he thought Dean had the right to forbid him to meet with Uriel, but Castiel was pretty sure he himself would have preferred if Dean mentioned it _before_ he met with any of his exes. He remembered how Dean had told him about Lisa; and how he had consulted Castiel if it was all right for Dean to train Ben’s baseball team after the boy had asked the alpha. But since Castiel’s guilt would not help him now, he concentrated on his anger. Later, he would apologise to Dean. He just hoped the alpha had not yet noticed his absence.

“I am not his property, Uriel. Dean is my mate, but that doesn’t mean he owns me. I guess that is a difference you never truly understood. If you have nothing else to say, I’m leaving.” And in a childish outburst, just because he knew it would aggravate Uriel, Castiel added: “And by the way, I never liked the taste of your strawberry champagne. _You_ always ordered it for me and I didn’t want to object. Now, _Dean_ , he just lets me choose for myself.”

Castiel turned around, unsure if Uriel would try again to physically hold him back. But almost at the same time as Castiel walked away, there was a yell of “Mr Garrison” and Castiel quickened his steps while the voice continued: “How fortunate to meet you again. Maybe we can have a drink and pick up our conversation from last night.”

“I am sure we’ll see each other at the police station again, Castiel. I will stay for at least another week, so I can help with the investigation,” Uriel shouted after him, but Castiel did not dare to even turn his head back around.

Castiel had recognised that other voice. He quickly turned right instead of the front door on the left and hid between some coats and jackets, trying to get a quick look at the newcomer.

Right there in the lobby, shaking hands with Uriel, was Dick Roman.

Castiel took another step back so he would not be seen, because he had absolutely no intention to meet with Dick Roman face to face. For one, the last time he had seen him up close, Dick Roman had tried to bribe Dean to spend some alone time with Castiel in an unambiguous way. And then there was also the fact that Castiel had helped Dick’s mate to leave him – and Naomi became quite rich after the divorce was through.

With a fast beating heart, Castiel watched as the two alphas turned around and walked through the doors to the hotel bar.

“Ahem… can I help you, Sir?”

Castiel twitched at the sudden closeness of a young man in hotel uniform. “Oh no, I just got my coat,” he managed to stumble out and walked away from the line of cloaks. By the look on the bellboy’s face, Castiel was sure that the young man thought it was more likely he was a thief than a guest. But he also seemed relieved when Castiel just straightened his tie and left.

Now, that had been a tumultuous day.

Castiel just hoped it would not turn any more exciting when he told Dean he had met with Uriel like a sulking teenager. And a small voice in his head informed him it might not have been a smart move to encourage his stalking ex with a private meeting, no matter how cold he had acted.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated. :-D


	4. Chapter 4

**FOUR**

 

To Castiel’s relief Dean was apparently still in a meeting with Lily Sunder when he returned to his office after the short encounter with Uriel. He opened the window so that the flow of fresh air would divert from the fact that he had been outside or maybe even override a lingering scent of Uriel, even though Castiel did not really think that strategy would work. But since he had a few minutes to himself, he at least could recite his prepared monologue in his mind again – and did not have to deal with a confused or disgruntled alpha right away. Castiel just hoped Dean was still in his meeting with the prosecutor to talk about an upcoming trial and not hurrying through the streets, frantically searching for his missing omega. The thought made Castiel look at his phone, and l then he let out a relieved sigh; he didn’t think Dean would be impulsive enough to go look for him without even trying to call first. In the end, he did not get much time to fret about the alpha’s whereabouts as Dean arrived only about five minutes after him in the cramped room. Dean stopped short at the doorway and looked inquisitively at Castiel. Yep. Good old alpha senses. No use in opening windows.

Castiel rose from his chair, somewhat dramatically, as he felt suddenly nervous. On his way back, he had managed to convince himself it was absolutely his right to go out and visit old lovers in their hotels whenever he pleased, but now it seemed only inconsiderate towards his current partner. There was probably truth in both positions.

“You’ve been out?” Dean asked in a wary tone. Obviously, the alpha _had_ picked up on Castiel’s mood from before and didn’t want to make things worse. Dean’s hands twitched and then he made his shoulders relax in a movement that seemed like he put a lot of effort in it. “I guess fresh air was good for you. Did you at least bring me some coffee?” Dean asked with an attempt at a smile – and Castiel realised there was a hint of an apology in that question, although a stranger would probably not be able to hear it between the lines. But Castiel noticed Dean’s attempt to say it was perfectly all right that he had been out without talking to him first, and he was sorry for indicating that he needed a protector. Castiel was surprised at Dean’s sudden cautiousness – but maybe Donna had said something when she had left with Dean to see Ms Sunder. That seemed like something the cheery omega might do.

However, Castiel could enjoy neither Dean’s changed attitude nor the idea of Donna scolding his alpha, because he had to focus on the problem at hand. As it was typical for him, he did not beat around the bush but admitted straightforwardly:

“I wasn’t at the Coffee Shop, Dean. I was at Peaceful Haven, the hotel I mean. I met with Uriel.”

“Huh?” Dean asked and Castiel could see a dozen emotions run over the alpha’s face until it settled into a blank expression. “Okay.”

“I wanted to ask him about the flowers. But in the end, I left before we really talked about anything. It was a stupid idea. I wanted to turn around before I even got inside, but he saw me in the lobby and we exchanged a few awkward words.”

“Okay,” Dean repeated.

“Okay?”

“Well, it was your decision to make. I can’t tell you what to do. And of course, you can take care of yourself.”

Now Castiel really wanted to know what Donna might have told Dean. He noticed how he still stood in front of his desk and Dean still at the door frame. With a mumbled “okay then” Castiel sat down and turned to his monitor. However, Dean didn’t move from the doorway. When Castiel looked up again, the alpha rubbed a hand over the back of his neck.

“Dean?”

“Look, Cas, I know you can handle yourself, and I don’t want to act like the jealous boyfriend here. But I really don’t like that you hang out with Uriel. Not because he is your ex, but because he is a dick. And the fact that he has been following you around the last couple of days… I just want to know you’re safe. I don’t want to patronise you or anything. I’m not like _him_.  I’m just… worried.”

Castiel stood up again, and with a sigh he walked over to Dean. He smiled softly at the man who looked a bit forlorn and wrapped his arms around his waist.

“I know, Dean.” He rested his head on Dean’s shoulder and breathed in the calming scent. Dean was all grounding oak and warm leather and the slightest note of elderflower that always reminded Castiel of spring. “And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before I went to see him. I admit that would have been the right thing to do. I guess we are both a bit rattled today. Maybe we should finish up as quickly as possible and head home early. We could order some pizza and snuggle on the sofa with a good movie.” After all, that has been the very thing Castiel wanted to do since Uriel had showed up this morning.

“As you wish,” Dean mumbled with a smile in his voice, pecked Castiel on the tip of his nose, and then their lips met in a passionate kiss that surprised both of them.

And just like that, the world seemed to be in balance again.

“Hey, get a room, you two. You’re in a work place here.”

Castiel hid his face in the crook of Dean’s neck in embarrassment – and breathed in some more of his amazing scent – while Dean just smirked at Donna: “Well, technically, we _are_ in a room.”

“I guess, I wanted to say you should just go home. And I’m talking here as the Captain’s assistant. I think that means my orders are as good as hers.”

“But I haven’t finished yet…” Castiel mumbled.

“Oh, come on, is there really anything that can’t wait until after the weekend?” Donna asked.

Castiel had done his research on the painting as well as helped on two other cases today, and everything he had left to do was mostly paperwork. So he shrugged and said to Donna: “Well, I guess you’re right. Thank you,” he added with emphasis and hoped she would get that he was mostly talking about Dean – who already closed his laptop and collected his things. By the way Donna’s smile widened Castiel assumed she understood.

“There are just few of us in the police, Cas. That only means we omegas have to stick together.” Then her voice lowered. “And let me just tell you, your taste has improved a lot over the years. We all know that Dean is far from perfect” – the alpha let out a snort that said _what are you even talking about?_ – “but that Mr Garrison seems a bit… well… difficult.”

Now it was Castiel’s time to snort. “So, you met him?”

“Yes, he stormed into Jody’s office after Benny was done with him. Demanded we would give him back his walking stick.” She shook her head in disbelief. “I mean, a cane, really? How old is that guy? Eighty?”

“The walking stick is some kind of family heirloom. The knob is pretty expensive,” Castiel explained, remembering the stick Uriel had already possessed during university years. He had even been stupid enough to think it looked elegant – like a gentleman from an Austen novel. “And as he told me and Benny, he was lucky he had it with him, because he hit the thief – or one of the thieves? – with it while the lights were out.”

“Lot of good it did him, his money still got stolen,” Dean mumbled, and he did not sound the least bit sorry about it.

Donna laughed. “Yes, Benny said about the same. I advise not to annoy that alpha detective anymore today. First, he had to deal with Uriel, and then he had talked to Gordon Walker this afternoon. He doesn’t seem to be in the best mood. Same goes for Jody.”

“No wonder,” Dean grumbled.

“Anyways, since it was not real evidence, Jody let him have his cane back. But I could see she really wanted to deny him – just because he had barged into her office like he owned the whole precinct. He even made a comment about how he was surprised a mere beta had managed to become Captain.” Now, Donna looked furious. “God, I wish she had just hit him with that stick.”

“Better not. It’s not wise to start a fight with Uriel. He’s got money and connections,” Castiel said in a flat voice.

“Yeah, Cas, I mean you mentioned he was rich – but to buy a painting for 1.5 million, and in cash, that’s a lot of money,” Dean said with a frown.

“Well, I’d guess he is doing quite well as a broker. He had not been _that_ rich when we were together. Or maybe his father died, and he inherited his money, I don’t know.”

Dean opened his mouth and Castiel feared he might indicate something about how the omega would probably regret breaking up with him now – but instead, Dean chuckled. “But a cane? Really? That just screams pompous asshole, right?”

Now, Castiel did not want to object to that.

When they left the car on their apartment building half an hour later, Dean’s nose twitched all the way up to their front door. Castiel assumed he was trying to hide how he scented the air for any traces of Uriel – but fortunately, his ex had not been near their home. At least not that Castiel could tell. But he expected Dean – and Castiel himself – would be wary of any familiar smells for a while. Especially since Castiel had told Dean that Uriel planned to stay at least for another week – an information that Dean had acknowledged with nothing more than a disgruntled snort. He seemed just as concerned that Dick Roman was in town, but since neither Castiel nor Dean have noticed him anywhere else so far, the alpha growled he was not happy _to have both of those assholes in his town_ , but there was nothing they could do about it.

Castiel had also told Dean that Uriel seemed to have nothing to do with the flowers – or maybe he had just wanted to keep him on edge by denying it – and Dean sure didn’t like the idea there might even be a third party they had to worry about. So Castiel tried to bring back Dean’s theory about some love-sick barista who had sent the flowers, even though it was obvious that neither man really believed it.

But no matter how many alphas might be after his almost-mate, Dean seemed intent to ignore the outside world and enjoy a quiet evening with Castiel, if only to make the omega feel better.

After they had ordered pizza, Castiel remembered his brother had no idea what had happened today and sent Gabriel a short text message:

_Hey, Gabriel. Uriel is in town. Please, don’t kill him if you happen to meet him. Someone already stole a lot of cash from him. Castiel._

A moment later, Castiel’s phone rang without pause. After the second time Gabriel had tried to call him, Castiel simply set it on mute.

“Don’t you wanna get that?” Dean asked, staring curiously at Castiel’s phone.

“No,” Castiel answered. He really did not want to talk to Gabriel right now. One protective alpha was as much as he could handle today. But as an afterthought, he texted his brother again: _I’m fine. Dean ordered too much pizza. And tiramisu to go with the pie._ After that, his phone stopped ringing. Gabriel always seemed to think food could make everything better – he was very much like Dean that way.

And just as Castiel had wished, he and Dean snuggled together on the couch and watched some movie Castiel did not even try to follow. He rather concentrated on Dean’s scent that was still protective but calm enough to be soothing.

 

>><< 

 

When he woke up, Castiel lay on a ridiculously big bed.

He could not open his eyes, even though he did not feel like he was blindfolded. He smelled rotten eggs and coughed at the harsh scent. There was something cold running up and down his naked chest.

As the blade wandered lower, Castiel finally managed to open his eyes.

He was surprised when he didn’t see Dean, just an empty chair before him. He had almost become used to this dream, and it was only when he realised he was alone that he got scared. Castiel felt cold sweat clinging to his body while there was still a hand over his chest. He took another deep breath and the scent of sulphur was suddenly gone. Instead, he could smell wood. Damp wood in a crackling fire. His heartbeat picked up and he knew what he would see before he even turned his head to the right.

“There you are. Right back where you belong,” Uriel whispered. And then: “Cas, wake up!”

Castiel opened his eyes and realised instantly that he was embraced by strong arms and a heavenly scent. He felt safe. Dean just held him and stroked over his back. They had been here before – after Alastair and Lilith had attacked them, Castiel had been shaken with nightmares quite a few times. And even Dean had awoken in cold sweat once or twice.

Castiel was relieved when Dean didn’t ask any questions but just kept a hand running up and down his back until Castiel’s heartbeat steadied. The alpha probably assumed it was his usual remembrance of Alastair – and Castiel did not want to tell him that Uriel had now stolen himself into his nightmares. Dean was already irritated as it was – and Castiel was somehow convinced that the two alphas would cross paths again. With Uriel’s comment about wanting to stay for the investigation and all.  He did not want to add fuel to Dean’s fire beforehand. Dean might be better than most alphas at holding back his temper around the Full Moon, but Castiel still did not want to rile him up additionally. And it was not like Uriel could control how Castiel slept.

But even if Dean did not know what Castiel had been dreaming about, he still watched the omega warily during their late Saturday breakfast. While both men were still seating at the kitchen table, Dean’s phone rang, and he picked up with a smile: “Hey, Donna, how’s it going?” But whatever Donna answered, Dean’s smile vanished and his expression turned into something Castiel liked to call Dean’s _business face_. After a quick “sure, will do… no, it’s no problem”, he hung up.

“Something bad?” Castiel asked even though Dean looked more irritated than worried.

“No. It’s just… someone obviously told Victor Henriksen about Gordon Walker – I am guessing either Benny or Charlie – and now he would like to talk to an officer about him. Benny’s already at SecCo to investigate the latest theft, and I’m to meet him there to talk to Henriksen.”

“Okay, have fun.”

Dean rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Well, Donna asked if you could come with me.” Castiel raised an eyebrow in surprise. “She obviously thinks that three alphas in one office might be a bit much, and an omega couldn’t hurt. Considering tonight’s a Full Moon and all… And since you’re already somewhat involved in the case…” Dean ended with a shrug – and Castiel assumed he was not too averse to the idea that Castiel would stay close to him for the time being.

Stupid, paranoid alphas.

And Castiel agreed to be in a room with three of them. On the day of a Full Moon.

 

>><< 

 

Dean and Castiel entered the impressive headquarters of SecCo that looked bright and sterile like so many modern company offices. Castiel was not surprised that the place seemed busy despite the weekend – a security firm could not afford to work on few personnel on any day, much like the police. Dean and Castiel were just lucky that Captain Mills – and with her the HR department – treated them as a mated couple already so they got the same days off.

Just as they walked through the revolving door, Dean’s phone pinged, and the alpha picked it out of his pocket to read a text. If Castiel had not been so close to him, he might not have noticed the sharp spike of anger that showed in the alpha’s scent, or that Dean nearly walked into the glass doors as he stumbled slightly.

“Dean? Everything all right?”

“Sure.” Dean took a deep breath, and a moment later Castiel was not sure if he had just imagined the scent of _furious alpha_. “Just Donna, texting me the address again.”

“And that had you so irritated?” Castiel tried carefully.

“Well, it is supposed to be our weekend off.”

Castiel frowned at Dean. Something wasn’t right. It had not been a problem half an hour ago – in fact, as long as they were not headed for a vacation or a short trip out of town, Dean seldom complained when urgent work came up. And a short visit to SecCo was hardly interfering with their weekend plans of cuddling on the sofa and watching a season of Narcos – Dean’s choice.

Castiel was still contemplating if he should confront Dean about his strange comment, when a voice rang through the lobby.

“Can I help you?”

Castiel and Dean looked to the reception where a young woman was smiling at them widely. Something told Castiel she might have observed them closely since they exited the car in front of the glass walls.

Dean walked right up to her, showed his badge, and explained they came to see Mr Henriksen.

 “If you could just tell him we are here, Ms...”, Dean glanced at the name tag on the neat dress of the pretty beta, “…Talbot.”

“Please, call me Bela, Detective Winchester.” She touched Dean’s hand as she turned the badge to have a look at it, and while she did, she leaned a bit forwards to show off a perfect cleavage. Castiel disliked her instantly. That feeling certainly did not change when the beta looked up at Dean through half-lidded eyes and asked in a seductive tone that Castiel could not even manage in his dreams:

“You got any handcuffs on you, Detective?”

Castiel cleared his throat. Loudly.

“Oh. Maybe we should have this conversation sometime when your partner is not around. My shift ends at six...” She let the sentence hang in the air.

“I’m terribly sorry, Ms Talbot, but I already have plans for tonight.” Dean answered with a sweet smile – and Castiel cleared his throat again. Seriously, the woman might be a beta, but Castiel would have thought their scent was so strong on each other that even she would be able to smell it. Hopefully, that would change once they mated. While Castiel’s frown deepened, the alpha’s smile only got wider as he added: “Or any other nights.”

Bela Talbot looked from one man to the other with a slight frown, but her smile soon came back up again. But this time, it seemed surprisingly smug to Castiel. But maybe she was just trying to hide her disappointment.

“Mr Henriksen’s office is on the fourth floor. Second door to the right, you can’t miss it. Just walk in, his assistant is not in today. You don’t have to knock – I’ll tell him you’re on your way. And your colleague, Detective Lafitte, is already there.”

As they walked away from the receptionist, Castiel could not stop his hand from finding Dean’s lower back in an almost possessive gesture. As soon as they were in the elevator, Dean chuckled and crowded in on Castiel, so that the omega leaned with his back to the wall and before he knew what happened, Dean’s mouth was on his.

“I like it when you get all possessive over me. You’re so sexy when you’re jealous. And that cute little wrinkle between your eyes…” Dean stroked a hand over Castiel’s stomach – how had he sneaked it under his shirt in less than a second? – and nibbled at Castiel’s neck in a way that always made the omega purr a little.

“I’m not jealous,” Castiel grumbled out, while both of his hands had found their way to Dean’s perfect butt, and Castiel couldn’t stop them from giving a little squeeze.

“No? Then maybe I should show Call-me-Bela my handcuffs on our way out? She did seem interest…” Before Dean could finish his sentence, Castiel let out an almost-growl and pulled Dean’s head down so their lips met again. Dean chuckled into the kiss, and Castiel thought he was way too amused by strangers hitting on him all the time. He ran a hand through the alpha’s short hair and over his neck in a subconscious effort to leave his own scent – and his whole face burned up when he noticed what he had been doing. Marking was not considered proper omega behaviour. Dean, that smug bastard, only smirked. But there was also something gentle in his eyes that sent a shiver down Castiel’s back.

A loud ding and the abrupt opening of the doors had Castiel’s eyes widen in horror. He quickly turned around, but fortunately, no one was waiting in the corridor. Dean was still pushing him into the wall, obviously unfazed that anyone might see them glued together, and Castiel whispered sharply: “Dean! We are working here. Someone might see us.”

“So what?” Dean replied, but he stepped back from Castiel nevertheless, and with a last satisfied smile down on him, he left the elevator. The omega couldn’t help but think that a quick make-out-session in the elevator was Dean’s way of saying: _You don’t have to fret over others, baby, I only want you and no one else._

Castiel might have preferred to hear the words, but he had to admit his mood was a lot better than when they had left the lobby.

“So, one… two…” Dean stopped in front of an open door that read _V. Henriksen, CEO_. He stepped into the anteroom that held an unoccupied desk and looked at the large wooden door. “No knocking, she said?”

And before Castiel could object, Dean had pushed down the handle – and froze at whatever sight was in front of him. Castiel could only see Dean’s shocked face at first, then he raised to his toes and looked over the alpha’s shoulder: Victor Henriksen – at least Castiel assumed that’s who he was – was leaning against his desk, Benny stood closely in front of him, the detective’s back to the door. And there was a hand on Benny’s… butt.

The proximity of the two men might have been explained with a heated argument or something like that – but Castiel was pretty sure any alpha on the verge of a fight would not rest a hand on the other one’s ass. Their faces were also very close, and Benny’s short hair seemed rumpled… well, and then there was the scent that did not exactly indicate a conflict.

The picture only lasted for half a second – then Benny jerked away like he had been slapped, turned to Dean and his eyes widened in shock. The same expression was mirrored on Dean’s face. Victor Henriksen on the other hand straightened and flattened his rumpled tie. There was a moment of awkward silence; Dean still blocking the doorway, staring in the direction of the now empty desk, Benny looking at the floor with a red face, Victor glancing at Benny with an almost hurt expression, and Castiel, still looking over Dean’s shoulder with wide eyes. He had to admit he was surprised --- he might have suspected that Benny was keeping a secret from them, but he had not been prepared to see him so intimate with another alpha just yet.

The room started to stink of various emotions and _alpha_ in a way that had Castiel wrinkle his nose.

Finally, Dean all but roared: “What is going on here?” He looked at the stranger with a murderous glare – like he assumed the man had somehow assaulted his best friend.

Benny opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish, so it was Victor Henriksen who finally offered an explanation, stone-faced: “What happened here is that two strangers rudely interrupted a private moment between two partners of just a few months. You know, new love…”

Dean’s eyes bulged and he seemed at a total loss for words. _Huh, a few months_ , Castiel thought. It certainly explained how the alpha had blushed for weeks whenever someone mentioned alpha-alpha relationships – or how ready he always seemed to defend SecCo, or rather Victor Henriksen. If the alpha’s shocked expression was any indication, Dean had never even suspected anything.

When no one moved for a whole minute, Castiel pushed past Dean and decided to go with blank professionalism until everyone had calmed down: “Mr Henriksen? I am Officer Castiel Novak, and this is Detective Dean Winchester. I believe you asked to talk with someone who could give you information on one of your employees? I apologise for barging in like that, but your receptionist told us to just come in since she’d already announced us.”

The CEO of SecCo looked at Castiel with an almost relieved expression and played along: “Yes, thank you for coming, Mr Novak. I guess Bela got distracted. Please, have a seat, all of you.”

They hesitantly sat down, and it was painfully obvious how Dean deliberately picked a chair as far away from Benny as he could manage. Castiel frowned at him, but his mind was too occupied to make strained small talk with Victor – as he offered they should call him. The two men talked about this and that, pretending that the detectives had never caught anyone making out on any desks.

“So, Dean, I hear you have information about Gordon Walker?” Victor asked after a while, when everyone had calmed down a bit. “You have worked with him in the past, Benny told me.”

He should not have added that last bit, because Dean’s whole body tensed.

“I imagine Benny has told you all kinds of things,” Dean mumbled under his breath.

Benny looked at the floor again, and Castiel hit Dean’s ankle with his foot.

After a deep breath, Dean told Victor how Gordon Walker had lost his job in the police force, looking at his own hands for most of the time. He talked for fifteen minutes without any interruptions, and when he was finished, there was another awkward silence.

“Thank you for telling me that, Dean,” Victor said finally. “I do background-checks on all my employees, of course, and quite a few of them are former police officers. But since Gordon had never been charged with anything… And his version of the story had seemed believable. If I had known earlier what you just told me, I would have never hired him in the first place.”

“Well, I can hardly blame you. Sometimes you think you know someone… and then it turns out you don’t know them at all,” Dean said with an angry glare.

Victor looked from Benny to Dean, and the air was starting to smell more and more of anger.

“Is there a problem, Dean?” Victor asked through clenched teeth.

“No, not at all.” Dean leaned back, crossed his arms and looked Victor directly in the eyes.

Great, now Castiel was in the middle of a staring contest with two angry alphas while the third one had still not said a word and resembled more and more a beaten puppy. He laid a hand on Dean’s knee and waited for three long seconds, but neither alpha averted their gaze.

“Oh, stop it, you two.” Castiel rose from his chair and stepped between the two alphas – effectively disrupting their staring contest with no loser, or winner. He then turned to the third man: “Benny, you can date whomever you want. Neither of us has a problem with that. Isn’t that right, Dean?”

Dean swallowed and waited a heartbeat before he replied: “Of course, we live in a free world.”

Castiel glared at Dean, but before he could say anything else there was a knock on the door.

“Yes?” The door opened after Victor’s invitation and in glanced a fierce looking woman with a grim expression. “Ah, Ms Ahn. Welcome back. Hope you had a happy vacation.” _Happy_ was not an adjective that seemed to apply to Ms Ahn in any way, Castiel thought.

“Sir? We had an appointment, but I can come back lat…”

Before the woman could say anything else, Dean had leaped up and was halfway at the door already: “No need, we were just about to leave.” Just before he stepped out, he remembered enough civility to turn around and say: “Victor, Benny.”

When Castiel followed him into the hallway, after an awkward goodbye to the two men and a nod to the newcomer, Dean had already started down the stairs.

“Don’t leave on my account, Dagon. I should get going, too. I’ll see you tonight, Victor.” Castiel heard Benny say in the still open room.

While Castiel waited for the elevator – giving Dean the opportunity to cool off – he heard Benny walk up behind him. The two men stepped into the elevator and Castiel waited a moment for Benny to say something, as he obviously tried to do so. But when he was afraid they would be on the ground floor before Benny even managed to open his mouth, Castiel said conversationally: “So, Victor seems like a nice guy.”

Benny barked out a short laugh. “He really is. Most of the time. He just… you know, he had been irritated with me already for not telling my closest friends about him yet. And he generally is easily enraged with people who are not exactly accepting of alpha/alpha-relationships.” He let out another humourless laugh. “And with the way Dean reacted… Like I said, Victor is not very patient when it comes to… when someone…”

“Benny,” Castiel said in a determined tone that had the broad alpha look at him. “Dean does not have a problem with you dating an alpha. I’m sure of it. He just needs time to cool off – you know he can act like an idiot, but usually he comes around quickly. And he did not find out about you and Victor in an ideal way. He certainly would have preferred to hear it from you.”

Benny looked sheepishly to the floor. “I wanted to tell him, Cas, really. It’s just… well, Dean is like a brother to me. He’s my best friend. But he had sometimes said things that made me think… I just didn’t know how he would react. So I thought I would wait how the relationship with Victor turned out… maybe there wouldn’t have been anything to talk about in the end.”

“Victor certainly seems to think it’s pretty serious,” Castiel said, knowing a protective alpha when he saw one.

Benny nodded, and a blush crept over his face. “It is. And Victor makes no secret out of it – hell, everyone in this building seems to know what’s going on. Which was just why he had been irritated with me that I had not even told my best friend about him. And now, with how Dean reacted…”

“Look, with Uriel back in town, and that Alastair-situation, and the Full Moon tonight…” Castiel shrugged, but before he could say anything else to defend his almost-mate, the doors opened again. Castiel looked around the lobby, but Dean was nowhere to be seen.

“You partner is already in the car,” Bela said with a slight pout but a sly glint in her eyes.

Then Castiel did something he had never done before – he hugged Benny.

“Don’t worry. Just give Dean his 24 hours. You know he’s always had your back before. He’s not going to stop now.”

Benny managed a half-smile at that, and Castiel left him to get to the Impala, where Dean was impatiently drumming his fingers on the wheel.

 

>><< 

 

Castiel had waited the whole drive, letting Dean think in silence. It was only when they were back in their apartment that he started on the subject.

“You know, Dean, for someone who always says that anyone can love anyone, you seem very wrought up by the idea of Benny dating another alpha.”

And finally, Dean blurted out: “I never knew, Cas! I’ve known Benny for more than ten years now. He’s my best friend, and he never even once mentioned he liked alphas!” He sat down on the couch, just to jump up again. “And how long has that been going on anyway? When we met, Benny had been in a somewhat serious relationship with Andrea – who happens to be a beta _and_ a girl! And I swear I’ve seen him flirting with other betas since then.”

“Well, maybe he is not solely interested in alphas. Or maybe it’s only started recently. Maybe it’s even only Victor. Who knows? There are a hundred possibilities.”

Castiel’s even tone did not manage to stop Dean’s agitation. He didn’t even seem to hear him at all.

“Have you any idea how many hours we spent drinking in bars together? And three years ago, we went on a two-weeks-road trip together. We even mostly slept in the car! And did some naked-swimming in lakes.”

“So what? You think that he was secretly trying to ogle your goods? That he had been in love with you for years, because no one who would be remotely interested in alphas could possibly resist you? That he savoured every fleeting touch?” Castiel asked with a lifted eyebrow.

“No,” Dean said in a hesitant voice; then, more determined: “Of course, I don’t think like that. But it _is_ strange that he never said anything.”

“Well, maybe he was just afraid you would react like you just did. Like someone who thinks it’s a disease or something.”

Dean stopped in his tracks and frowned at Castiel, then he started pacing the room again.

“Don’t try to make me into the bad guy here. I don’t care who Benny dates, as long as they are not complete assholes. But he hid it from me. He’s been with that Henriksen guy for who knows how long --- and he didn’t tell me. Do you know what we’ve been through together?” Castiel nodded, even though it clearly was just a rhetorical question – but he had heard of some of the more gruesome cases Benny and Dean had worked together. Or the time Dean had stood up for Benny when everyone had thought him a risk, relapsing into his old cocaine addiction. Not to mention the time Benny had, quite literally, caught a bullet for Sam – which was like the number one thing you could do to get in Dean’s good graces for all eternity. Benny had been in intensive care for over a week, Dean hardly leaving his side. “And we’d always had each other’s back. And now he keeps secrets from me? Because he doesn’t trust me, or what?”

The last had been said with hardly concealed hurt in Dean’s voice – and Castiel was almost relieved. That was the heart of the problem here: Not that Benny might have come a little too close to Dean, or an aversion of alpha-alpha-relationships; but that Benny had not trusted Dean enough to tell him about his new boyfriend. Castiel slowly walked up to Dean and took his hand. The alpha let himself be led to the couch, and Castiel sat down next to him, close enough for their thighs to be touching.

“He’s my best friend, Cas, and he hides something like that from me!”

“But maybe that’s just the thing, Dean, because you are his best friend.” Dean was about to say something but Castiel held up a hand. “He didn’t know how you’d react, and he didn’t want to lose you, I guess. And before you tell me how he should have trusted you – he probably just didn’t want to risk that you would act differently around him. We all do stupid things, honey, especially when we are afraid.”

Dean was quiet for a few minutes, then he sighed.

“You think I acted like a dick.”

“I think you acted pretty much like you,” Castiel answered with a teasing smile. “Sometimes you get mad before you think things through. But more importantly than what I think should be what Benny thinks right now.”

Dean groaned, leaned forwards and hid his head in his hands. “You want us to talk it out.”

“Well, what do you suggest? Buy him a skin mag with hot alphas to show him you have no problem with Victor – and then go back to work like nothing happened?” For a moment, Dean seemed to like this idea. Castiel slapped his shoulder. “Dean! You will call Benny and tell him you two are all right. You will apologise.  And then you will invite Victor to our next bowling night.”

“No,” Dean replied in a firm voice. “Pool. Maybe darts. But I won’t have him at bowling night. It’s horrible enough as it is.”

Castiel huffed out a laugh but said in a serious tone: “Whatever you say, alpha. Just call Benny.”

 

>><< 

 

In the end, Dean and Benny even set a date for the night, intending to meet at the Roadhouse and talking over a few beers. Castiel had frowned a bit at the idea – he himself didn’t like to go out on a Full Moon. There were usually more brawls and quarrels than any other nights. But he had wanted the two men to talk, so he was not going to argue now. Besides, Dean could take care of himself. But it seemed like the alpha had only realised _after_ he had hung up on Benny that this meant Castiel would be alone for the night – and it had been hard work, including the promise of locked doors and keeping a gun within reach, to convince him to go out anyway.

Just as the alpha was about to leave the apartment, his phone piped out a message alert. Just like this morning, Castiel scented a spike of fury for the briefest moment, but Dean just put his phone back into his pocket and pecked Castiel on the cheek.

“See you later. Don’t open the door to anyone. Don’t talk to your ex. And don’t accept any more flowers.”

When he was alone, Castiel wished Dean had not mentioned the flowers. He had hardly thought about them the whole day, but now he was wondering again who might have sent them. So much so that he was glad when his phone rang, and he finally decided to talk to his brother.

After the call – in which Gabriel proposed to cut off Uriel’s balls and feed them to a goat– the omega snuggled on his favourite armchair to read a book. Dean had texted him while he was on the phone and Castiel replied that everything was fine and pleasantly boring at home.

At around eleven, Castiel started to wonder that Dean wasn’t back yet. It was not too late, but he had expected the alpha would not stay away too long. Instead, he had only gotten hourly texts to check in on him. Castiel tried not to worry about any possible bar fights or irritable alphas. On the other hand, Dean was usually almost glued to Castiel during a Full Moon. As much as alphas seemed more aggressive during that time, it also seemed to boost their sex drive. That was certainly true for Dean. Castiel had felt a bit sore the day after the last Moon. Not that he had complained. Castiel’s whole body tingled at the memory and, instead of fretting, he considered changing into something sexier than his sweatpants. Maybe even some lingerie to surprise his alpha – he deserved a reward after meeting with Benny and talking it out. Castiel chuckled at himself as he noticed how excited his body got at the idea. Sure, he would be doing it just for Dean.

But his plans seemed to be thwarted when the alpha texted him around midnight:

_Sorry, baby, it’s gonna be late. Don’t wait up for me. Go and get some sleep. See you tomorrow._

Castiel waited another half hour, but eventually, he hardly managed to keep his eyes open and decided he might as well listen to Dean. But he still dressed in a pair of Dean’s boxers and a worn t-shirt for the night – the alpha had stated more than once this was the sexiest outfit Castiel could wear.

Castiel had already dozed off when he heard the key in the lock and a moment later, the front door clicked shut. But Dean did not come to the bedroom right away, instead he seemingly took a long shower. When he finally came to their bedroom, the alpha did not turn on the lights, probably to not disturb Castiel. But since the omega was somewhat awake already – and maybe because he still hoped for some action – he turned on his bedside lamp. Castiel blinked at the sudden light as his eyes searched for Dean.

“So, how did it go with --- oh my God, Dean, what happened!”

Castiel sat up in his bed and stared at Dean, who was only wearing a pair of boxers, and had his head halfway turned away from Castiel. But it was too late, the omega had already seen the bruise around the alpha’s right eye. He hurried towards Dean and gently stroked over his face. Dean pulled back with a low hiss but said: “It’s not that bad.”

“Did you and Benny get in a fight? Or did Victor come by and punch you?” Castiel was seriously scared that their talk had only made things worse.

“What? No! Benny and I are fine. We talked it over, shared our feelings like we were characters in a chick flick movie, and had one or two beers. That,” Dean waved a hand in the direction of his eye, “was just… some punk. Listen, Cas, can’t we talk about this tomorrow? I’m kind of tired, and I just want to go to bed.”

Castiel blinked perplexed. Had Dean been pulled into a barfight or something? Castiel wanted to probe further, but when Dean took his moment of silence as agreement and just turned off the lights, Castiel decided to let the subject drop for tonight.

Dean kissed Castiel’s forehead in the dark room and whispered: “Night, baby. I love you.”

Strangely, this time, the words only alarmed Castiel. And that feeling just intensified when Dean settled back onto his own side of the bed and was not even touching him in any way, which was rare, and even more so on a Full Moon. Usually, he hugged Castiel like an octopus even after they were no longer tied together by his knot. And even more concerning was the scent coming off Dean – it was an unpleasant potpourri of worry and anger, shame and… guilt?

Castiel was sure interested in that fight now.

 

>><< 

 

When Castiel woke up the next day, Dean had already left the bed. After a quick visit to the bathroom, the omega stumbled into the kitchen. 

“Morning, sweetheart,” Dean greeted him with a peck on the lips and handed him a cup of still boiling hot coffee – just the way Castiel liked it. The alpha went back to scratching scrambled eggs from the pan to a plate, dressed only in boxers – also the way Castiel liked it. But the perfect chest and arms did not deflect him from the black eye on the alpha’s handsome face.

The omega then looked at their table and the perfect breakfast Dean had prepared already.

“What’s going on, Dean?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to make some breakfast for us.”

“Uh-huh.” Castiel said. It was not like Dean never did nice things – but breakfast was usually Castiel’s specialty. “And I suppose it has nothing to do with the bruise on your face?”

One look at Dean told Castiel he had hit the nail on the head. Dean blushed, rubbed a hand over his face and then said: “Listen, Cas, last night I…”

Dean was interrupted by the doorbell. Both men simultaneously looked at the clock and then at each other. It was already ten, but it was a Sunday morning and they did not often get visitors without notice. Dean shrugged and walked towards the door; Castiel followed him, coffee mug still in his hands.

“Dean, you’re not wearing any clothes,” Castiel whispered. “Maybe I should…”

“If they don’t want to see me half-naked, they should not interrupt my Sunday morning routine,” Dean replied at the same time as he pulled the door open.

On the other side waited Captain Jody Mills and Donna Hanscum. The four stared at each other for a moment.

“Good morning, Dean, Castiel,” Jody’s serious tone told Castiel that there was something wrong as much as the fact that neither woman made fun about Dean’s state of (un-)dress.

Dean seemed to have come to the same conclusion – his smile vanished, and he asked urgently: “What’s up, Jody? Did something happen? Is it Sammy?”

“No, no, that is not why I’m here.” Jody obviously tried to pick her next words carefully, then she looked at Dean and pointed at his eye. Her voice was tense when she asked: “How did you get that, Dean?”

“Oh, is that why you’re here? That asshole.”

“Dean?” asked Castiel.

Dean turned to him, completely ignoring their visitors for a moment. “I’m sorry, Cas. I’ve been stupid. I went to see Uriel last night.”

“What?” Castiel blinked, then: “Why?”

“Well, I had a few beers… and he kept texting me. We got into a fight.” He waved at his face. Castiel did not know what to say, and Dean turned to the women: “But seriously, is he pressing charges now? That’s just ridiculous. Even if it wasn’t a Full Moon last night.”

It was true – as long as only alphas were involved, and no one got seriously hurt, the police often let impulsive brawls on a Full Moon slide. Castiel had always thought this approach only encouraged violent acts – for he very much believed that alphas could pull themselves together, even on a Full Moon. But obviously, that wasn’t true for his almost-mate. He sipped at his coffee mug, just so he didn’t have to say anything yet. He was angry at Dean for meeting Uriel, even angrier that he had not told him about it last night, but he was also scared that Uriel could cause his alpha some real problems. He had money, and maybe he managed to persuade someone important that Dean was unfit for duty. It seemed scarily possible.

“Dean,” Jody said in a very serious voice. “I’ll have to ask you to get dressed and follow us to the police station.” She swallowed and then looked Dean straight in the eyes: “You are under arrest.”

“What? That’s just ridiculous! Can’t that jerk just leave us in peace!” Dean let out a loud snarl, and Castiel feared their conversation wouldn’t stay private any longer. He was just about to invite the two women in, when Donna stated, voice as serious as Jody’s:

“He died, Dean. Uriel Garrison was found dead in his room in Peaceful Haven. And you are the last person who was seen with him.”

Castiel heard a loud clack – and realised too late that he had dropped his mug.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments always make a happy writer. ;-)


	5. Chapter 5

**FIVE**

 

“Dean,” Jody said in a very serious voice. “I’ll have to ask you to get dressed and follow us to the police station.” She swallowed and then looked Dean straight in the eyes: “You are under arrest.”

“What? That’s just ridiculous! Can’t that jerk just leave us in peace!” Dean let out a loud snarl, and Castiel feared their conversation wouldn’t stay private any longer. He was just about to invite the two women in, when Donna stated, tone as serious as Jody’s:

“He died, Dean. Uriel Garrison was found dead in his room in Peaceful Haven. And you are the last person who was seen with him.”

Castiel heard a loud clack – and realised too late that he had dropped his mug.

He tried to comprehend what Donna had just said, but his mind seemed unable to process her words for what felt like hours.

Uriel was dead.

And Dean was being accused of killing him.

“What?” Dean asked perplexed while Castiel’s view got a bit blurred because he felt so dizzy.

The alpha’s scent exploded – anger and panic and confusion making not only Donna’s nose wrinkle. But the female omega said quietly: “Why don’t we come in for a minute? No need to disturb your neighbours.”

Castiel, still in a haze, started bowing down to pick up the mug – but Donna was quicker. She grabbed it from the floor, miraculously still in one piece, and Castiel did not even think about cleaning up the spilled coffee. Instead, he led the two women to the kitchen while Dean disappeared to the bedroom for a moment and came back in jeans, sneakers and a plain shirt. Castiel hazily realised he himself was still wearing the too big shirt and shorts, but he could not bring himself to care about his appearance right now. Jody and Donna sat down, and Dean hesitated at the doorframe for a moment, trying to catch Castiel’s gaze, but the omega concentrated on pouring everyone a cup of coffee while the rest of the breakfast was completely ignored by the whole group. He fiddled with milk and sugar and was relieved when Dean finally sat down and stopped staring at him. Castiel was not ready. He was confused and angry and scared – and he did not know where Dean fit into that turmoil of emotions.

They sat in silence for a while and Jody’s face was an unreadable mask until she nodded to herself with determination, like she had come to a conclusion after an internal battle, and asked: “Why don’t you tell us what happened yesterday, Dean? Step by step.”

Castiel felt Dean’s gaze on him again. He still didn’t meet the alpha’s eyes, but he noticed how Dean’s shoulders slumped and Castiel could sense the worry and fear and disappointment coming from him. But there was also anger, and then Dean finally said, sounding as impassive as he was talking about the weather: “I probably should not say anything else without a lawyer. Why don’t you tell me what exactly I am being accused of instead?”

Castiel wanted to punch him in that moment. Uriel was dead, and not only if Dean was really the last person who had been seen with him would he make a great murder suspect. And Castiel was more than glad that they were sitting in their own kitchen right now. If anyone asked him, Jody deserved a medal for acting so lenient. It was against protocol to interrogate a murder suspect in his own home on a Sunday morning. As it was inappropriate to question him in the presence of his partner who might turn out to be a witness, or even a collaborator. The alpha was just making it harder for himself, and Castiel wanted to strangle him for his stubbornness.

But maybe Castiel’s sudden anger at Dean was more likely based on the fact that he had visited Castiel’s ex behind his back. _And_ let himself be lured into a fight. One he had tried to keep secret from Castiel, if only for a few hours.

But murder?

Finally, Castiel looked really at Dean – and the alpha appeared as despondent and confused and angry as Castiel felt. So instead of slapping him, Castiel sat down on the chair next to the alpha and squeezed his hand for a second before he folded both of his own in his lap. The gentle yet brief touch was meant to calm Dean, but Castiel also felt some of his own tension leave his body at the simple gesture.

After a moment of silence, Donna explained in a soft voice: “Dean, you know we can’t do that. We are bending the rules here as it is. No one has read you your rights yet. This is not an official conversation.” She hesitantly looked at Jody, who nodded almost unnoticeably. “But Uriel is dead. And it doesn’t look good for you. Now, you said you two had a fight. It might have been an accident…”

“It was no accident!” Dean bellowed, his calm demeanour abruptly gone. “Uriel was perfectly fine when I left him! Maybe he had a broken nose. But he was still standing on both feet, calling me a _recreant_ when I left. I mean, he can’t have been that wounded if he still managed to use such a stupid word.”

Donna wanted to answer, but Jody lifted a hand to quieten her. “Like I said, Dean. Start from the beginning. You two seemed to have known him already when he was at the station on Friday. Where have you met before?”

“I haven’t,” Dean answered. “But Cas knew him, intimately.”

Jody turned to Castiel, one eyebrow raised.

Castiel was pretty sure that Jody knew already that Uriel was an ex-boyfriend of his, but he answered her silent question nonetheless. He explained how he had not seen Uriel for years and mentioned the alpha’s behaviour in their relationship and how nervous he had been after their breakup. He told them how he had noticed someone was following him around for days, and how he finally recognised the stranger as Uriel when he showed up in the precinct after his money had been stolen. After he was finished, Donna and Jody only looked at each other with silent concern, and Castiel could easily imagine what they were thinking. He himself might have thought it probable that Dean had killed Uriel just as revenge for how he had treated Castiel, or how he had scared him during the last week.

Jody cleared her throat and continued: “I know that he left the precinct on Friday morning. Had you any contact with him after that?”

Castiel answered in a timid voice: “Well, yes.”

Jody looked at him in surprise, and Castiel explained how he had visited Uriel in Peaceful Haven. Only now did he mention the flowers and how he was still not sure who had sent them. “But Uriel denied it was him. And I was at the hotel for just a few minutes.”

“And after that? Did he talk to you again? Or did you notice his scent anywhere?”

Castiel shook his head no and Jody turned to Dean: “But he contacted you? You said something about text messages? How did he get your number?”

When Dean answered, his voice sounded a bit slurred, like he was drunk: “I don’t know. He just… when we arrived at SecCo yesterday I got the first message, then he wrote me a couple while I was out drinking with Benny.” Dean closed his eyes like he was in sudden pain. “I knew he wanted to taunt me. I’m not stupid. I answered only once.”

“What did he say to you?” When Dean did not answer, Jody added: “Dean, we’ll have to scan your phone anyway. We will find out sooner or later.”

Castiel was pretty sure that Dean did not hesitate because of how it would reflect on him but more because of his mate. “He insulted me,” Castiel said to make it easier, and Dean nodded.

“In the first note he asked me how any self-respecting alpha would mate with an omega who had been _used_ before. He didn’t sign it, but really, who else would have texted me something like that? Later, he made numerous references to Castiel’s heat. Called him a… a bitch, among other things.” Dean swallowed down a growl. “Finally, I said he should shut his mouth, or I would arrest him for assault. And he just replied I knew where I could find him. If I wanted him to stop talking about my mate, I could try and make him. Or maybe he should just remind Castiel what a real alpha felt like.” Dean took a deep breath. His hand twitched towards Castiel’s, but Dean just grabbed it with his other one, and a sharp hint of shame hit the air. “I was just back in my car, about to drive home, when he texted me the last time. I wanted to ignore it, but somehow, I was in front of Peaceful Haven a few minutes later. I had not planned it. I was just so furious.” He looked pleadingly at Castiel, who didn’t meet his eyes directly, then at Jody. “I went inside, some stupid ideas of scaring him with my badge in my head, and asked for his room. The concierge even said he expected me already. And when that jerk opened his door, there was such a smug look on his face… And I realised what an idiot I had been to come. I thought that maybe he had planned to call the hotel security on police brutality or something like that.”

Castiel remembered how he had followed an invitation of Uriel just the day before, and how he had felt stupid about it as well. Maybe that was Uriel’s secret talent, to make people come to him, even though they knew better.

“But you didn’t just leave?” Donna asked when Dean stayed silent for a while.

“I wanted to, I really did. But then he… he said how surprised he was that Castiel was working with the police again – that he might have just chosen me to get him a good position. I knew he was just trying to get a rise out of me. But then he asked if he should bribe someone to get Cas fired. Again.” Dean looked down at his hands that were tied together so tight the knuckles had turned white. “Like he had done in Arlington.” Dean closed his eyes, and he almost smiled for a second. “And then I punched him. Right in his smug face.”

Castiel blinked a few times. To get him fired? _Again_? Castiel had started to work for a promotion to become a detective before he and Uriel had broken up – or before Castiel had run away and hidden in a motel room every second he wasn’t at work. He had thought he was safe in a police station – Uriel would hardly show up and make a scene surrounded by officers. But after some unfortunate events that resulted in the death of two police men, the rookie omega had been blamed and thrown out of the force. He still remembered how Zachariah Adler had yelled at him in front of everyone – and Castiel had been so intimidated he had not dared to object but just packed his things and went away. He had never suspected Uriel had anything to do with it. But now that he did, it seemed probable. Uriel was spiteful, and the fact that an orphan omega with no money or connections or even just a dazzling appearance had left him must have hurt his pride. A lot.

“And then what happened?” Jody asked, interrupting Castiel’s thoughts. She knew about the case that got Castiel fired, but right now, she didn’t seem interested in the distant past.

“He hit me back, like I said before,” Dean pointed at his bruise, “I punched him again, and he smacked against the wall. When I saw the blood running out of his nose, I finally registered what was happening. It was like I woke from a bad dream. Without another word, I went down the hall and took the stairs.” Dean clenched his hands to fists, straightened and looked at Jody. “I swear he was alive when I left him. He even called me names while I walked away.”

“Did you see anyone on your way out? Anything suspicious?”

“No, sorry, no Grim Reapers lurking in the dark or anything of the like.”

Jody nodded, but her face revealed nothing. “Then you drove back home?”

Dean shook his head. “No, I… I didn’t. I was still smelling of fury, and I didn’t want to come home like that. I also… I didn’t know how to tell Cas about what happened. Instead, I just texted him, so that he would not worry. And then I cruised around for a few hours. I don’t know what time it was when I finally came home.”

“A few minutes after two a.m.,” Castiel stated matter-of-factly.

“Okay.” Jody murmured, then after a minute: “We will need anything you wore last night, Dean. But maybe eat something first. It’ll probably be a long day. And you might want to pack up some things. For a few nights. You know yourself what you are allowed to bring into custody.”

Dean did not look surprised at Jody’s words, but Castiel virtually jumped from his chair. He even stepped between the Captain and his partner, like he wanted to physically protect him from any harm she might bring. “What?!”

“We have to take him in, Castiel. I’m sure you can see why.”

“But he didn’t do anything!” Castiel yelled. It was like Jody’s words had finally freed him from the fog that had clouded his mind for the last hour. He took a deep breath and added in a calmer tone: “You heard him. He punched Uriel, but he was perfectly fine when Dean left. He was being deliberately provoked – and it was a Full Moon! When was the last time you arrested an alpha for throwing punches on a Full Moon!”

“Castiel…”

“No! You can call him to the precinct like any other witness. But not this nonsense of packing a few things! You can’t just arrest him!”

Dean rose from his chair and took Castiel’s hands in his. He turned the omega around and waited until Castiel would meet his eyes.

“Cas, you must realise what this looks like. Jody has no choice. I was the last one seen with the victim. I might even have some blood on my clothes. And I threatened him yesterday in a room full of detectives.”

Castiel could not believe how calm Dean sounded – for goodness sake, the alpha even had that gentle look in his eyes that could melt Castiel in a heartbeat, mostly because it was usually reserved just for him.

“But you didn’t do it! They must know that you didn’t do it!”

Dean stroked a hand over Castiel’s cheek and looked him in the eyes. “You really believe me?”

Castiel frowned like it had never even crossed his mind Dean might be lying. He admitted to himself he had feared there was some truth to Jody’s allegations at the beginning – if Dean thought Uriel was some threat to Castiel, the omega was not sure what he would do. Especially when he got challenged on a Full Moon. But Dean had said he didn’t do anything more than punch him. And Castiel believed him. Dean might have an aggressive streak, like most alphas, but he was no coward. Okay, he might have driven around in his Impala for a few hours to delay a conversation with Castiel, but Dean would always stand up to his mistakes in the end. He always took responsibility for his actions.

“Of course I do, Dean,” Castiel answered. And Dean, that halfwit, actually smiled – wrinkled eyes and all.

“Thank you,” he answered simply. Then he kissed Castiel, quick and hard, and abruptly let him go to pack a small bag. And only a few minutes later, he had vanished from the apartment, followed by Jody and Donna.

Leaving a miserable Castiel behind.

 

>><< 

 

There had been a short discussion because Castiel wanted to go with Dean, but Donna convinced him that he would be no help to the alpha since he would never be allowed in the interrogation room. She also explained that he would probably get a call in in a few hours anyway to make his own testimony – and before that, he might want to talk to a few people.

Right. That was a good point.

At first, Castiel called Sam who sounded as shocked as Castiel still felt. The other omega promised he would call Bobby Singer, the boys’ surrogate father, and do his best to find out anything he could about Dean’s case.

Then the omega called a lawyer for Dean. There were a few names he had considered first – working in a police station meant you knew more defence attorneys than most people – but in the end, he settled for an unlikely choice. Maybe it would turn out to be a disaster, but Castiel was willing to take his chances. From what he knew, the alpha in his mind was absolutely brilliant at his job. He still feared that the timing would be a problem, or the fact that the attorney had not worked in a court for years, but to his surprise, the alpha, despite his obnoxious demeanour, had promised he would be in Greenville in only a couple of hours. Castiel smiled. He had always assumed the man liked Dean more than he let on. He just hoped Dean wouldn’t say anything before his counsel was present. Or strangle him when he arrived.

Then Castiel called Benny. The alpha had already known that something was up since Detective Victor Rogers had just called him in for interrogation. It made sense since Benny had been the last one to see Dean before he went to Uriel. But Castiel was still surprised how quickly his colleagues had found out about Dean’s whereabouts last night.

When he felt like he had taken care of the most important things, just because he desperately needed someone to cheer him up, he called Gabriel. He knew it was a risk, because his brother could just as easily make things worse by telling him to forget about Dean and look out for himself, but Castiel needed to talk to someone who was closer to him than to his almost-mate, someone who would care for Castiel before worrying about Dean. He felt selfish for it, but he was so close to tears, he needed Gabriel to encourage him, knowing his brother was the only one he would admit his weakness to right now. Gabriel could also be surprisingly pragmatic – and Castiel could sure use a bit of grounded advice.

As it turned out, Gabriel did not let him down. He asked for Castiel’s wellbeing instead of Dean’s, he encouraged him when Castiel was on the verge of crying; he even went so far as to make empty promises of how everything was going to be just fine.

“And, look, Dean is friends with more than half of the officers anyway. They will move heaven and earth to discharge him. I mean, they want to get him _out_ of jail, so they will be much more interested to prove his innocence than finding evidence against him.”

Castiel almost laughed. He had feared Gabriel would rather say something that indicated he thought Dean guilty and how Castiel should just forget about him and open a cocktail bar in the Bahamas with his big brother.

“So, you think he is innocent?”

There was a pause before Gabriel responded: “Well, I do. Don’t ever tell him I said that, but you made a good catch there, little brother. Dean is not some asshole who is too overwhelmed by his own alphaness that he walks around killing people just because he doesn’t like them.”

“I didn’t know you had such a high opinion of him,” Castiel said, heavy on the sarcasm in his voice.

Gabriel scoffed. “I do, actually. He is no Uriel. And this time I took precautions and tested him from the beginning. So, I made fun of him and teased him and mocked him– and he still talks to me. Just to please you. Well, at first. I think I have grown on him by now.” He barked out a laugh, just to end it with a serious: “And to be honest, in this case, even if he did kill that bastard, I couldn’t blame him.” Castiel did not know how to respond, but luckily, he didn’t have to as Gabriel added in a cheery voice: “So, baby bro, whatever it is, just call me if I can help you. Or you could stay at my place if you don’t want to be alone for the night.”

Castiel froze. The talk with Gabriel had grounded him for a moment, but now he felt like someone had punched him in his stomach. Maybe they would keep Dean overnight. Maybe the whole week. He felt panic rise in him at the thought that they might even lock him up for the rest of his life.

“Hey, breathe, Cassie. Nothing’s gonna happen. They will interrogate your alpha, but he didn’t do it. So he will be back home soon enough.”

Castiel hang up on his brother after a quick goodbye, but before he had decided on what he should do next, the telephone rang again. It was an officer from the Greenville PD who asked him to come to the precinct for interrogation.

 

>><< 

 

When Castiel arrived at the police station, he had hoped to see Dean somewhere, but of course, he would be held in some tiny room with blank walls and mirrored glass. He met Benny though, who asked Castiel how he was holding up and promised he had told the police that Dean had not seemed in a murderous state last night, even if he was a bit absent-minded. But Benny looked tense and was even quieter than usual. And slowly Castiel realised that everyone in the office talked in hushed voices, like they were at a funeral or something.

But he had not time to think about it for long since Detective Rogers called him in for questioning. At least, they were talking in a small office with just one other officer present, and no mirrored glass. Despite the friendly surroundings, Castiel was about to get uncomfortable soon enough. But at the beginning, Victor Rogers appeared to be a nice and sensitive officer.

“So Castiel – is it all right if I call you Castiel? – I know this must be hard for you. Your former partner killed, the current one arrested… I sure don’t want to add to your suffering any more than I absolutely have to. But, please, would you tell me about what happened between you, Mr Garrison and Mr Winchester since Friday. We can take a break whenever you like, or get you a cup of coffee. Just ask if you need anything.”

Castiel might have liked the detective and he felt tempted to talk to him like an old friend after this compassionate introduction. But instead, he stayed wary. Even though Castiel had never dealt with Victor Rogers before, he knew that Dean didn’t like the man. And Castiel trusted Dean’s gut feeling. It was something he secretly envied a little bit – Dean always seemed to have the right instincts when it came to people.

So Castiel stayed alert while he summarised the events of the last two days once more, at least everything that had somehow involved Uriel. Victor Rogers always seemed completely compassionate with Castiel’s story, nodding and humming in agreement. But after some time, the omega suspected the detective sometimes was trying to trick him into admitting something, or he insinuated – very carefully and seemingly puzzled – that Castiel had done something wrong. It got even worse after he had asked Castiel to talk about his past relationship with Uriel. Detective Rogers asked questions like “and did you ever tell him you don’t like him using his alpha voice?” or “but if you were so unhappy, why didn’t you leave earlier?”

If he hadn’t known any better, Castiel would have assumed Det. Rogers had never talked to the victim of an abusive relationship before. He was pretty sure they taught officers to act more emphatic, and not to blame the victim. However, the detective was never openly accusing Castiel of anything; he just seemed politely interested why he had never fought back, or why he accused Uriel of abuse if the alpha had not been physically violent. After an hour of questioning, Castiel started to think maybe Uriel’s behaviour had been at least partly his fault. Because, if he had known how much Uriel hated for him to leave damp towels in the bathroom, why didn’t he just put them in the laundry basket? Or better yet, just wash them before the alpha returned. Then Uriel would not have had any reason to yell at him. And Castiel _was_ an educated omega, with a job and an alpha brother who would have helped him – so why had he not left Uriel earlier if he thought he had been so vicious?

At some point, Castiel could not understand his own actions anymore and he felt like he constantly contradicted himself when he talked about how Uriel had tried to dictate every part of his life – but maybe he had just tried to lovingly care for his omega, like Det Rogers suggested. Maybe Castiel exaggerated.

The omega shook his head to get rid of the inconsistent thoughts in his head. No. Uriel had not been a caring alpha; he had tried to control Castiel’s life. And Castiel knew about those doubts, that it had been his fault – he had fought against those stupid ideas for months after he left Uriel. He would not allow some sleezy detective to make him start blaming himself again.

But it only got worse when Victor Rogers’ line of questioning returned to recent events.

“So, Mr Novak, you are saying you were completely surprised by the return of your ex-partner? The one you left and tried to hide from while you still lived in the same town? The one, as you say, has stalked you for days --- and then you just walked into his hotel to catch up about old times?”

Castiel’s heartbeat sped up. He looked at Rogers, who examined him with a cold expression. Gone was any sign of the amiable attitude from the beginning, and Castiel turned to the young officer who had taken notes throughout their conversation. The beta had a doubtful expression on his face – Victor Rogers seemed to have convinced at least one person already that there was something wrong with Castiel’s story.

 “Well…I am… I wanted to…” Castiel stuttered. “I tried to ask him about the flowers.”

“Oh. Right. The mysterious flowers. Tell me, Mr. Novak, how many men are you trying to play off each other? There is that secret admirer with the flowers, the old boyfriend, and your current alpha. Am I forgetting anyone? Oh, yes, that Mr Roman – who had been smitten with you while you were working undercover.”

Cold rage rose in Castiel. But instead of confusing him further, it helped him concentrate.

“What are you implying, Detective?”

“Just that you seem to be a very popular omega. And maybe you find that flattering. Maybe you even enjoy making your lovers jealous. There are omegas who get a kick out of having alphas fight for them. I was thinking…”

“Let me put a stop to your thoughts right there. I am not trying to rile anyone up. I am in a happy relationship with Dean Winchester. I have no idea who could have sent me the creepy flowers, and I certainly did not ask for them. When Uriel came back into my life, I was shocked. Yes, I still sought him out, because I assumed he had sent me an alarmingly intimate gift and I wanted confirmation. I told Dean about it afterwards – not to make him jealous, but just because this is the sort of honest and open relationship we have.”

“Honest? Like how Mr Winchester told you he had a fight with Uriel Garrison?”

Castiel was tempted to lie, claiming that Dean had told him right away, or maybe arguing he had been asleep when the alpha returned. But he did not want to make things worse with any falsehoods, so he admitted: “He might not have told me right away, but it was the middle of the night after all. He tried to tell me the next morning, but unfortunately, Captain Mills arrived before he got the opportunity. And he admitted to her that he got into a fight with Uriel the night before. A bruised eye and a bloody nose, and that is all there is to it.”

“But tell me, Castiel… if you thought Uriel was as frightening as you try to make him sound… if your alpha thought he was threatening you – don’t you think Dean Winchester would be able to kill for your safety?”

“I believe we are all capable of horrible things to protect the ones we love,” Castiel said instead of a direct answer. He had no doubt that Dean could kill for him, but he had also no doubt that he was innocent of murdering Uriel. And Castiel had not forgotten about Alastair – Dean had had the opportunity to end the omega’s life, but only after Castiel had been back to safety. And Dean had chosen to simply knock Alastair unconscious.

The detective opened his mouth to say something, but Castiel interrupted: “Uriel was not threatening my life. Dean did not have any reason to kill him. And he didn’t.”

“You seem awfully sure of your Dean.” Castiel did not back down from Rogers’ cold glare, and even managed not to twitch when the detective added: “Then why have you not allowed him to claim you yet?”

“That is none of your business,” Castiel stated and rose from his chair. “This conversation has been going around in circles for a while. If you have nothing new to ask, I’d rather go home now.”

Rogers looked for a moment like he wanted to object, but in the end, he just shrugged, and Castiel marched out of the room.

It was already well after five when Castiel walked through the hall of open offices again, where there was still a dimmed atmosphere. He felt devastated, because he had obviously not been able to convince the investigating detective that Dean was innocent. He might have even made the situation worse. He himself could see there were quite a few possible motives for Dean to kill Uriel.

Castiel knocked at Donna’s door. Before he would leave for home, he wanted to ask about Dean again. But like he had already feared, they would keep him overnight. And Castiel was not allowed to see him.

“Don’t fret, Cas. We got him a nice single cell that looks more like a cheap motel room. And Jody is talking to him right now. She will look after him.”

“Sure. Then she could have just let him go home,” Castiel stated, knowing he was being unfair, but unable to feel anything but anger for the Captain, who had come to their home this morning and locked his alpha away.

“Now, don’t be like that. She has already helped him as much as she can. We have to treat this like any other case, Castiel. Otherwise, there will only be trouble for a whole lot of people, including Dean. Maybe the Federal Investigators will take the case if we seem too lenient. Would you rather have someone in charge who doesn’t even know Dean? Someone like Rowena McLeod?”

Grumpily, Castiel shook his head.

“See?” Donna hugged him. “Go home, Cas. Pick up some food on the way. I’m sure you haven’t eaten a single bite since we knocked on your door this morning.” She squeezed his hands once more. “And then get some sleep.”

 

>><< 

 

When Castiel arrived at his apartment, he desperately hoped that there would be some left-over food in the freezer. He had no energy to cook, had not even managed to pick something up on his way home. Just the thought of getting out of his car and facing more people had him shiver. As he turned the key, he remembered the mess from breakfast and feared he would not be able to even go into the kitchen and look at it. As he stepped inside, he heard clattering from somewhere in the apartment. He panicked for a moment – after his horrible week, it would just fit if someone tried to rob him as well. The place sure looked like it. A couple of drawers were hanging open, and the books in the shelves of the living room were not in the order Castiel had arranged them in.

“Cassie? That you?”

Gabriel’s voice rang through the hall, and Castiel sighed in relief. He took in a deep breath and, overshadowing the light trace of his brother, he could smell something sweet baking in the oven, as well as curry and other spices.

Castiel walked to the kitchen, and despite the horrendous day, he could not stop the tiny smile on his face. There were four different pots on the stove, and the oven also looked more than full.

“Are you expecting an army?”

Gabriel turned around, spatula in hand, and dressed in Deans I-cook-as-good-as-I-look-apron. “No, but I’m sure you haven’t eaten anything all day. And I know you – you are too polite to let all the food I prepared just for you go to waste.”

Castiel managed a tired chuckle.

“What happened to the apartment?” He asked even though he already guessed the answer.

“Some of your colleagues were here. They had a search warrant and were obviously looked for something. But I don’t think they found it.”

Castiel frowned. He did not even want to guess who had been here. Probably some rookies whom he hardly knew. At least he hoped so. Castiel blushed at the thought that someone he was close to would find their sex toys or some specific items in Castiel’s wardrobe. His heart ached as he heard Dean chuckle in his head because of his fears – he always found Castiel’s shyness amusing. While Dean was the type who constantly tried to get him to have sex in the copy room.

“Hey, earth to Cassie. Look, it’s not that messy. They mostly put things right back where they were. Why don’t you go over a few things, while I finish dinner?”

Just a minute ago, all Castiel wanted to do was curl up into a ball and be lonely and sad on his sofa. But now he was happy that Gabriel had exploited his spare key to keep him company.

Just as he was about to check if anything was missing, the door rang, and Castiel hurried eagerly, hoping to hear news about Dean. He looked through the spyhole – again Dean’s voice in his head, this time urging him to be cautious.

But there were no other flower deliveries or ex-boyfriends waiting on the other side of the door. It was Bobby and Sam.

Since the alpha and former Captain lived in a remote cabin, Castiel did not see Bobby Singer too often. But he felt honest affection for the man – if only because he knew how well he had taken care of Dean and Sam after John Winchester had lost himself in his work. If anyone asked Castiel, Bobby Singer had done a better job at raising the boys than their own father – not that he would ever say that out loud, knowing how conflicted Dean felt about criticising his dad.

Castiel opened the door and invited the two men in.

“Hey, Cas? How are you holding up?” Sam asked, and Castiel saw his own worries mirrored in the other omega’s eyes.

While Castiel was still contemplating how he should answer, Gabriel boomed from the kitchen door: “Dinner’s about to be ready. I hope you will join us. You all look like you need some food.”

Bobby gruffly nodded, and Sam started to set the table immediately. He looked like he was happy to do something, anything.

The four men ate together, but neither mentioned Dean. Castiel had tried to get some news at the beginning, but his brother insisted that everyone needed to eat something before they would return to worries or schemes. So they talked about the weather, and Gabriel congratulated himself on his cooking skills more than once – since no one else seemed in the mood to do so – but mostly, they stayed silent.

It was only after they had finished that Castiel dared to ask again: “So? Do you have any news?”

Sam replied, looking extremely tired and agitated at the same time: “I’m just as curious as you, Cas. No one would tell me anything. Said I was too close to the suspect. Not even my brilliant scheme of sending Eileen to get some information has worked out.”

Both omegas looked hopefully at Bobby, who cleared his throat before he announced: “I might have revived some old contacts. All in all, it doesn’t look rosy, but it also could be a lot worse.” The alpha looked at Castiel like that statement was supposed to cheer him up, but if he expected a sign of relief, he would be disappointed. “Look, I know it seems bad that they kept him in, but Jody really could not have done anything else. If she seems to be partial, the case will be taken to another state or the FI, and we really don’t want that, do we?”

Bobby paused until Castiel shook his head in response.

“On the bright side, Dean has been honest about his visit to Mr Garrison from the beginning, even before he had been told the alpha was dead. And his whole story seems coherent and credible, there are no discrepancies from your or Benny’s testimony so far. And then there is Dean’s lawyer – he already made everyone who had to deal with him want to strangle him, but that only says he is doing a good job.”

Sam chuckled briefly. “Seriously, Cas, what made you call _Crowley_ of all people? He and Dean might just kill each other.”

“Like Bobby said: He is really good.”

“He also really dislikes Dean.”

Castiel shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. I think they secretly like … or respect each other. And Crowley came fast enough.” Before Sam could reply, he turned to Bobby again: “Please, Bobby, do you know what happened with Uriel exactly?”

“I don’t know too many details yet, but as far as they found out by this morning: Uriel had checked into the hotel last Sunday, and he had planned to leave on Saturday morning. But on Friday, he told the staff he would stay for at least another week. I assume that had something to do with the 1.5 million dollars that had been stolen from him. Or maybe with you, who knows? Yesterday, he had left the hotel around noon and when he came back hours later, a bellboy seemed to think he looked upset. But no one knows where he had been, yet. The hotel also confirmed that Mr Richard Roman had asked about Uriel’s room number yesterday morning. From his phone, we know that sometime during his absence, Garrison had called the number of SecCo. But I couldn’t find out who he had talked to specifically, since he had dialled the general number that would lead you to the reception. On Saturday, he had also sent some e-mails to his assistant, informing her he would be away for another week, and giving her detailed instructions. The police also know about the texts he sent to Dean.” Bobby stopped a moment, and Castiel blushed at the thought that everyone read the horrendous things Uriel had said about him. “The most interesting part seems to be that Uriel got a phone call in the lobby that was directed to his room about half an hour before Dean arrived. If Dean is telling the truth, it wasn’t him. The concierge had called Mr Garrison before they sent Dean up, which is another good sign – Dean had not ambushed him or something. The personnel had then seen Dean rush out only minutes later, obviously agitated.” Bobby cleared his throat again and Castiel was almost sure he heard him say _idjit_ under his breath. “No one else was seen with Uriel that night, and there are no cameras in the corridor outside of his room. The other security footage remains to be watched closely – I don’t know anything about that yet. But very early this morning, the cleaning personnel found Uriel Garrison dead on the ground. His door had been ajar, and they had peeked inside – one cleaner obviously fainted before anyone called the police. For all I could find out, Uriel died from a blow to his head. The murder weapon has not been found yet. There seems to be nothing valuable missing; his wallet was still on his nightstand next to an expensive watch, and no one had fiddled with the safe. So it definitely does not look like a robbery gone wrong. But maybe the crew overlooked something. Uriel’s personal assistant is expected to come around tomorrow and make a list of any missing objects.”

Castiel rubbed his hands over his face, suddenly very tired.

“Everything will be all right, son,” Bobby said as gently as Castiel had ever heard him talk. “You just need some sleep. And don’t worry about Dean too much. That boy’s tough. He’s been on battle grounds and war zones, he can survive in a cell for a while.”

Castiel was pretty sure that Dean would rather face an opponent in an honest fight than be locked away in a cell, unable to do anything but wait – but he only thanked Bobby for stopping by and telling him everything he knew about Uriel’s death.

Soon, Bobby and Sam said their goodbyes, but before the alpha walked out, he reminded the others: “Remember, I shouldn’t even know about all that, much less tell you.”

Castiel nodded, and then Sam hugged him. It was a full body bear-hug that the tall omega held for long moments. And Castiel realised with a guilty feeling that this was probably as hard on Sam as it was for him.

The two men left and Castiel helped Gabriel, who had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the last hour, with the dishes. His brother had tried to wave Castiel off to go to the living room and relax, but the omega needed to do something.

But after they were done, Gabriel sent him to bed in a stern tone he had last used when Castiel was about twelve. The short alpha announced he would stay at their tiny guest room, ignoring Castiel’s protest. He was secretly glad about that.

Castiel felt incredibly tired, but he still did not fall asleep for a long while. Too many ideas were spinning around in his head.

Uriel was dead – and Castiel was not yet sure how he felt about it. Yes, he had come to hate him over the years, but it had been enough for him to not see him again. He hadn’t wanted him dead. But at the same time, he didn’t feel sorry. Maybe it would have been different if his death had not affected Castiel in such a brutal way. It seemed like Uriel had managed to break him and Dean apart after all.

Dean.

Castiel did not want to think about his partner, who was lying alone in a cell right now, not knowing if he would ever get out again. Castiel determinedly stamped down the panic that started to build in his chest. At least, he still had Dean’s scent around him. If he closed his eyes, he might be able to find comfort in the smell of oak, leather and the slightest hint of elderflower. But Castiel feared, he and Dean would be separated long enough for the scent to vanish.

As he finally fell asleep, Castiel stroked a hand over his neck, where Dean’s mark already started to fade.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Cas. Poor Dean. Poor Uriel...?


	6. Chapter 6

**SIX**

 

Castiel awoke a long time before the alarm would go off. He had probably not slept for more than three hours, but he had not even expected it to be that much. He could not remember any dreams, and he was grateful for that. However, the sheets were unusually tumbled, so he assumed he had not lain as motionless as Dean claimed he always did.

After he had woken up around four a.m., Castiel had initially tried to force himself to fall back to sleep again – it would not help if he was too tired all day to even think straight. He had read somewhere that lack of sleep could lead to the same symptoms as being drunk. And he could not help Dean if he was drunk! Of course, that line of thinking only made him even more agitated – and he buried any hopes of sleep before it was five.  He was just so anxious to _do_ something, but he didn’t really know what that might be. Both Jody and Donna had warned him to stay miles away from Dean’s case and that he should not expect any updates from them.

He was just lucky that Bobby seemed less strict and that the former Captain had shared so much information the night before. Hopefully, the alpha would continue to check in on Castiel.

But there must be something else he could do to clear Dean’s name.

Just waiting around for Bobby to tell him something new didn’t seem like an option. Especially because Castiel couldn’t help but think this whole disaster was partly his fault. Uriel was _his_ ex after all, and maybe, if Castiel had not met with him on Friday afternoon, Uriel wouldn’t have been so bold to write Dean. Maybe Castiel had somehow encouraged him. Or maybe he should not have pushed Dean to talk to Benny, and then they would have stayed together at home the whole night.

Castiel sighed. He knew thinking like that was stupid and would not help anyone. Even if Castiel had not met Uriel and they had both stayed at home – his ex might have still sent those texts, and Dean might have still snuck out to Peaceful Haven behind Castiel’s back. In any case, Dean was a grown man and responsible for his own actions – not to mention stubborn. When he set his mind on something, it was hard to convince him of anything else.

But still, it was not Dean’s fault that Uriel had been murdered.

Castiel hesitantly got up and to the bathroom. Jody had advised him to take a few days off, but he had not allowed her to talk him into a vacation. He wanted to be at the precinct – it was his best shot at finding out some new details. They could hardly deny him to go to work. And if he accidentally talked to a few detectives on Dean’s case – well, he was just being sociable.

Castiel huffed out a laugh at the thought of Dean, teasing him about being _sociable_. It was not exactly his strong point. He more likely scared people off with his habit of getting straight to the point instead of wasting time with idle chit-chat. And he completely lacked Dean’s ability to charm people into giving anything away without noticing it. On the other hand, he also lacked Dean’s tendency of trying to solve any problem with sheer force. That might actually be an advantage in their current situation.

Castiel left the apartment without breakfast and managed to not wake Gabriel, who was still snoring soundly in the guest room. He arrived at the police station at around six, and just like he had hoped, it was still nearly empty. He didn’t want to deal with staring colleagues this early in the day. Or ever, really. He sat down at his desk in his small office, and for the first time, it felt empty and lonely in his usual comfort zone. He remembered how he had been tempted to throw Dean out last Friday, because he had felt the alpha was crowding in on him – but now he would give anything to have him back. It was just like it had been when he tried to sleep: The bed seemed too big and Castiel felt cold all night. It was ridiculous, really, since Castiel had spent many nights alone in their apartment– whenever Dean worked unfortunate hours or that time the alpha was away for the weekend to go fishing with Cain. But even though he always preferred to go to bed with Dean, Castiel had never felt lonely before. Not like he did right now in his small office.

Castiel shook his head vigorously. He was starting to wallow in self-pity. But he had no reason to complain – it was Dean, who had to sleep in a cell. And who had probably already suffered through hours and hours of stressful questioning. If Detective Rogers had been a bit tough on Castiel – he would surely not act any gentler around Dean.

For two hours, Castiel finished some paperwork from last week and answered a few e-mails. He then knocked on both Jody’s and Donna’s door but neither woman seemed to be in yet. So instead, he tried to call Crowley, but only got to voice-mail. With a grumpy frown, he walked into the breakroom, hoping to find anyone who might have news for him – but it was still only eight, and the precinct practically deserted.

Two hours later, he started the same procedure again. First Jody and Donna, then an unanswered call to Crowley, and finally a visit to the breakroom. He got the feeling that everyone was avoiding him on purpose. He had tried to talk to two detectives, who both made their excuses as soon as Castiel stepped up to them. He hardly managed to not call Sam in his frustration – they had only met the night before, and Castiel did not want to annoy his brother-in-law any more than he had to. So there seemed nothing else to do than pretend to get to work again. Castiel just hoped he made no mistakes as he absent-mindedly typed down a report. Maybe going to work had been a mistake after all – he did not want to mess up another case just because he was too focused on his mate to concentrate on anything else. Castiel closed his eyes for a second as the words and letters on his screen seemed to blend together in an unreadable blur.

“Hey, how are you holding up, Castiel?”

The omega looked up and saw Benny in the doorway. Finally, someone who would talk to him.

“Well, no one has accused _me_ of murder yet, so I guess I can’t complain.”

Castiel regretted his harsh tone as soon as the words were out, but he was not in the mood to apologise. He quickly got up and looked into the corridor behind Benny. When he couldn’t see anyone lurking around, he turned back to the startled looking alpha.

“So? What do you know?”

Benny let out a sound between a growl and a sigh. “I don’t know anything, Castiel. Rogers questioned me for two hours yesterday. Between his attempts to trick me into saying something incriminating about Dean, he was mocking me for my relationship with Victor.” Benny clenched his fists. “It was not really how I planned to come out at my job. But I suppose I had to tell him what Dean and I had been talking about. And by now I’m sure everyone knows.”

Castiel’s eyes widened. “Oh Benny…”

The alpha just waved him off – but Castiel could still see the tightness in his shoulders. “No, it’s all right. I probably should have told everyone by now anyway. I mean, everyone that matters. Like you or Dean. And no one has tried to insult me so far…” Benny ended with a shrug. Castiel assumed it helped that Benny did not look like someone you wanted to start a fight with. He did not fit any stereotypes of gay alphas who were often mocked for being weaker and less dominant than the usual breed –neither Victor Henriksen nor Benny Lafitte looked like they were easily intimidated. “Anyway, I don’t even know how Garrison died yet. No one will tell me anything, and the Captain made it abundantly clear that I will not be allowed on this case. In fact, she told me I should be happy she won’t completely withdraw the theft from me as well – since, you know, the murder victim was involved, and I am dating one of the possible suspects. Which I have kept a secret. But to be honest, I only started dating Victor after I had taken on the first case; that jewellery theft SecCo was involved in.” Benny swallowed. “Come to think of it, that probably only makes it worse.”

Castiel frowned. “Victor is a suspect?”

“His company is involved in two of the biggest robberies in the last few months. He might not be our main suspect, but he should at least be monitored, according to Captain Mills.”

“So I guess the Captain should be very happy with you. You can watch him very closely while you two are smooching on the couch at night.”

Castiel turned around and saw Charlie at the doorstep, hands on her hips and a glower on her face. “You know, if you two want to plan secret schemes, you should at least close the door behind you.” She did just so, then walked up to Benny and punched him on the arm.

“Ow. What was that for?”

“For not telling me about your boyfriend. Be glad that’s all I’m gonna do to you because I have greater worries right now.” Charlie stepped to Castiel and hugged him tightly. “I’m so sorry, Cas. How are you? Oh, what a stupid question. Forget I asked. Of course you are miserable. We are all miserable. What should we do now?”

While Charlie was still rambling on, there was a soft knock on the door.

After an invitation from Castiel, Sam and Eileen stepped in. For several minutes, everyone hugged everyone and numerous unanswered of questions of _how are you_ flew around. Castiel wanted to yell at them all – they had nothing to feel bad about, it was Dean they should concentrate on.

“So? Any news?” Benny asked finally at no one specifically.

Sam and Castiel spend the next ten minutes narrating everything they had heard from Bobby the night before.

“Well, I also managed to find out…” Sam started but was interrupted by a very loud cough from Eileen. “… okay, technically _Eileen_ found out that Detective Rogers is in a very bad mood today. He has been assigned as the investigating detective – which is unfortunate since Dean and he had never been on the best of terms, but I guess Jody wanted someone impartial, and he fit the bill.”

“Someone impartial would be fine, but that Rogers seemed to have it in for Dean,” Castiel grumbled out. “He wasn’t interested in the truth, but only in anything that would incriminate Dean further.”

“I don’t think that’s personal. He wants to arrest just about anyone,” Charlie replied. “You remember how I told you I didn’t like him, Cas? He is known to be a good detective – but if you ask me, he is so focused on breaking some record of closing as many cases as quickly as possible, he completely forgets to question if his suspects are actually guilty.”

“That’s true,” Eileen agreed. “I’ve sat with him in interrogations when I started at the GPD, and he is really good at making a connection with the suspects right away, you know, plays the friend card. But then his line of questioning can get so confusing that the respondents always contradict themselves at some point. And he exploits that mercilessly. He is definitely clever and could be a marvellous detective if he were more interested in serving justice than in his own arrest numbers.”

Castiel fell on his chair, shoulders slumped. Great. A _marvellous_ detective was trying to get Dean in jail, guilty or not.

“But there is also good news,” Sam said quickly. “Like I said, Rogers is in a very foul mood. Because he might have found his match. Every question he asks gets interrupted by Crowley, who counters with various objections or confuses Rogers with dismissive legal statements. He openly accused Rogers of trying to trick Dean with his line of questioning, and even complained about attempted police entrapment – so loud that everyone near the interrogation rooms heard him yelling. Crowley hardly ever lets Rogers even finish a question, much less lets he Dean answer one.” He looked at Castiel with a smile. “I think Crowley might have been a good choice after all.”

Castiel simply nodded. He had never doubted Crowley’s competence. For all he remembered, the alpha had been able to bust one or two mob bosses out of prison. But that had been before he retired to the quiet life of counselling big companies. Castiel was just glad that Crowley had agreed to work for a salary that _wouldn’t even pay for one decent bottle of wine_. His words. But Castiel had had a feeling that he would do this for Dean. For one, he had always believed Crowley secretly liked his alpha, and there was also the fact that Castiel and Dean had managed to arrest the murderers of his son.

When no one said anything for a full minute, Castiel asked gruffly: “Is that all?”

“Sorry, Cas, but since no one here is allowed to work on the case… and people are really tight-lipped around us. I guess Jody intimidated everyone to not even talk to us.” Sam rested a hand on Castiel’s shoulder. But Castiel was more appeased by the other omega’s scent than the touch. He had never really noticed before how similar it was to Dean’s; but siblings often seemed to have the same basic scent note with only different highlights. The mixture of oak and elderflower, wood and leather was soothing to Castiel.

“Huh… unless someone here works on the case after all?” Eileen’s gaze was fixed on Charlie, who squirmed like she wanted to melt into the grey wall.

“Charlie?” Castiel leaned forwards, suddenly alert again.

“Well… I don’t _work_ on the case, strictly speaking. But you know…” she pointed at herself or rather at her t-shirt that read _It’s good to be queen_ , “…tech genius. So they sometimes have no choice but to consult me. And maybe… I picked up a little something on the way. Even though I promised not to tell anyone.”

“Charlie!”

“Ha, but they were talking to my evil twin – and she totally crossed her fingers behind her back while she made that promise.”

“Charlie!”

“Okay, okay, everyone keep calm… so, they asked me to find out something about the security system. The cameras on the rear exit of Peaceful Haven were not powered, and Jody wanted to rule out that someone had tampered with them. Turned out, they had been out of order for over a week – and the hotel had not admitted to it in the beginning, because they seem pretty embarrassed about their own mishap. You know, with that kind of reputation, residents might expect an advanced security system. Anyway, that just means someone could have left the building unseen. But I don’t know about any possible observation inside the building – or if it would have been possible to avoid being caught on camera altogether.”

Castiel felt a weight being lifted from his chest. Maybe it was possible that someone else had come in and left again without being seen or recorded. That would be enough for reasonable doubt, wouldn’t it?

“The traffic cams around the place have not yet been fully sighted, but even if I am not officially on the case, I should be able to find out something. Take a look myself. You know, hacking into the police system is easy. Especially from inside a police station,” Charlie added, all matter-of-fact. Castiel thought it was a bit scary how easily a good hacker could get all kinds of intimate information about just anyone. He shivered at the thought of how many people underestimated Charlie Bradbury – with her bright smile and innocent looks. “There is also something else. I got a quick glance at some telephone lists. First, apart from his assistant and texts to Dean, Uriel made only two calls on Saturday. One was to the Greenville Hospital. I don’t know whom he tried to contact or why. And the other one was to SecCo. The call was directed to the office of Victor Henricksen himself.” There was an awkward pause where everyone avoided looking at Benny. “Uriel had also received one call to the hotel. It was just a short time before Dean had arrived, and it obviously came from the number of a phone box. Ominous, isn’t it? I didn’t even know those still existed. And yesterday, after Uriel was killed and the police already involved, the hotel got another call from someone who wanted to speak to a Mr Garrison. It was Victor Henriksen.”

This time, everyone’s head turned to Benny.

“I didn’t know that. I mean…” Benny frowned. “Victor was in a foul mood on Saturday, but he tried to hide it. I just thought it was because of yet another theft SecCo was involved in, and the Gordon-situation.” His ears turned pink. “And to be honest, I was so glad that everything had turned out fine with Dean, I might not have paid as much attention to him as I should´ve. And yesterday…  I told him Dean was being accused of murder… but I don’t think I mentioned who had died.” Benny looked dubiously at his hands and obviously tried to recall his conversation with Victor. “He probably didn’t know Uriel was dead. But I have no idea what he might have wanted from him.”

“Maybe Uriel wanted to sue SecCo? Making them responsible for the robbery? Sounds like something he would do, right?” Eileen asked no one in particular.

Charlie and Sam looked to the floor – Eileen might just have given Benny’s boyfriend a motive for murder.

Castiel leaned forwards and ran his hands over his face. He took a deep breath while ideas started to form in his mind. Finally, he had something to do. He just had to get all these people out of his office, so he could concentrate on where he should start. He had been grateful that they had checked on him mere minutes ago, but now he felt like they were just in his way. He needed to do something to get Dean out. But where to turn first? The hotel? Or maybe visit Victor Henriksen again?

“Good… thank you all from coming here to look after my well-being. I am fine. We all need to get back to work now, before someone assumes we are holding a secret meeting.”

Castiel had assumed that his abrasive tone would be enough for everyone to just leave, so he was a bit irritated when no one moved a muscle. Well, almost: Charlie raised an eyebrow at him, Eileen folded her arms, and Sam almost smiled.

“Come on, Cas,” the omega said. “We can all see your wheels turning. And we want to get Dean out just as much as you. Let’s split the leg-work between us. We’ll be faster that way.”

Castiel looked at everyone separately – and all seemed as determined as Sam. Castiel realised that he had been unfair to wish them away. Sam was Dean’s brother, and just as interested in getting him off the hook as Castiel. And both Benny and Charlie were the alpha’s best friends – they had known him for years before Castiel had even moved to Greenville. Of course, they wanted to help – just as much as Dean would move heaven and earth if they ever got into trouble.

“I’m sorry if I seemed rude,” Castiel started and Eileen scoffed. But otherwise, everyone just kept staring at him and Castiel noticed they were waiting for instructions. He tried to swallow down any upcoming insecurities – he did not consider himself a natural leader, not like Dean who barked around orders without even noticing it. Castiel usually preferred to hide in the background and fulfil his duties quietly. But it was not like he didn’t have some ideas already.

“Charlie? Could you find out the address of the phone box from the strange call? And maybe get a hand on the traffic cameras to find out where Dean went afterwards. And maybe… maybe you’ll find a camera of a shop or something in the street of the rear exit of the hotel. Maybe there will be something interesting, something that could help Dean.”

“Sure thing, Cas.”

“I would like to check out the hotel again. See if there’s a way to sneak in and to Uriel’s room without anyone noticing or being recorded. But it might help to look at the place of he phone box as well…? Maybe there would also be a camera or a monitored shop next door…” Castiel looked hopefully at Sam and Eileen.

“You got it, Cas. We’ll finish early and check the place out as soon as Charlie can give us the address. And we’ll also head to the hospital. See if we can find out whom Uriel had tried to call. Although I have a pretty good idea already.”

Then Castiel looked at Benny, feeling a lump in his throat. “And Benny? Maybe you could find out what Victor wanted with Uriel? It seems a bit suspicious…” Benny had opened his mouth, but Castiel held up his hands placatingly. “I’m not saying he is involved in the murder, but you have to admit it is strange that Uriel had called Victor in the afternoon, and just a few hours later, he was found dead. Maybe he knows something. He might not think it is important, but it could still help Dean.”

“You think the theft has something to do with his murder?”

“I don’t know. But it is possible. Uriel does not know a lot of people in Greenville, and Bobby said there were no expensive items missing from his hotel room. Someone clearly wanted him dead. So I’m guessing his murderer either planned it for a long time and followed him here, or it has to do with recent events.”

Sam and Eileen nodded in agreement. And Benny just sighed. “All right, Castiel. I’ll ask him.”

There was a frown on Benny’s face and Castiel felt guilty. He didn’t want Benny to doubt his partner, but in all honesty, he was even more interested in helping Dean out. Selfish as that may be.

“We can meet again tonight at my…” Castiel started but Charlie shook her head.

“I’m sorry, Cas, but if I’m supposed to look through all the material I can find, it will take longer. It’s already past noon, and we all have to at least pretend like we are working…”

Castiel wanted to object. They could all just concentrate on Dean’s case now, couldn’t they?

“Charlie’s right, Cas. If we get busted sniffing around, we might all just get into trouble with Jody. In the end, if word gets out, the case could even be taken away from the GPC and end up with the Federal Investigators.” Sam squeezed Castiel’s shoulder again. “Think about Dean, Cas. He is held in a single cell in this very building. Things could be a lot worse for him.”

Castiel agreed with a jerk of his head but was unable to hide his disappointment.

 

>><< 

 

The others had tried to persuade Castiel to grab a late lunch with them, but the omega turned it down. He knew they were just trying to cheer him up, but Castiel felt much more like sulking. And he wanted to finally get a hold on Crowley.

So, for the fifth time that day, he dialled the number he now knew by heart.

“Castiel? Again? Really? Do you want me to get your alpha out of jail or do you want to chat all day long?”

Castiel was taken aback by that greeting.

“I just… I just wanted to know how Dean is. No one will let me talk to him, or even tell me if he is all right.”

“Your boy is in custody for a little over 24 hours now. You really think he is so fragile that he might not survive such a fate without holding your hand?”

Thinking about it that way, Castiel felt stupid. And maybe a little bit like _he_ was the one who needed Dean to hold _his_ hand. He was overreacting, he knew he was. But the problem was not so much how long Dean had been locked up already – but the thought that he might never get out again.

“Can I talk to him?”

“No. You cannot. You are considered a witness and Rogers seems to fear you two will try to come up with a new story.”

“Then could you… could you tell Dean that I love him and that I’ll wait for him?”

Castiel felt overwhelmingly embarrassed saying those words to Fergus Crowley of all people. And it only got worse when the alpha replied: “Why do you two lovebirds always need to be so melodramatic? Now let me do my job. I think I’m getting somewhere.”

Before Castiel could reply, the line went dead.

Still slightly furious at Crowley for his curtness, Castiel decided he would try to talk to Jody again. After Sam’s words and his talk with their lawyer, he had no real hope she would tell him anything new, but he still felt like he ought to give it a shot.

When he arrived at her hallway, the Captain’s door was slightly open, and Castiel heard voices coming out of her office.

A man seemed to be yelling at his boss, then Jody replied, just as loud:

“No, absolutely not, Mr Walker. The investigation of Dean Winchester is far from finished. He is a suspect, and no convicted criminal. And even if he were, I am sure my predecessor, Captain Singer, has investigated your case quite thoroughly and did not only judge by Detective Winchester’s word alone. You may of course hand in a formal complaint, but you can’t seriously believe that just because we have a detective in custody you will be registered in the force again!”

Castiel contemplated if he should walk away – it would undoubtedly be the polite thing to do – or try to overhear more of the conversation, when Jody suddenly noticed him.

“Ah, Officer Novak, come in, please. Mr. Walker was just about to leave. Have a good day.”

Gordon Walker glared at Captain Mills in a way that made Castiel fear the situation would escalate. But, slowly, the tall man turned around to walk out without another word directed at the Captain. But as he was next to Castiel, he brushed the omega’s shoulder and took in a deep breath. He stopped for a second and hissed out, low enough that only Castiel could hear: “Omega.” He quickly looked at Castiel’s neck where Dean’s bitemark was almost unnoticeably pale by now. “You smell good. Maybe it’s not as bad an idea to allow your kind in the police as I always thought.”

Castiel clenched his hands into fists. He had heard such remarks before, but not that often since he worked in the Greenville PD. Jody Mills was strict when it came to harassment, and nobody wanted to get kicked out for one stupid comment. But Castiel suddenly remembered why he had always worn scent blockers before he and Dean got together. They did not work a hundred percent, but at least not everyone would instantly know he was an omega. He had gotten used to go without them, though – even preferred it now, and not only because he knew how much Dean liked it when he smelled naturally – and with a constant mark on his neck, he hardly ever had anyone come up to him the way Gordon Walker just did.

But the alpha just walked out, and Castiel was left behind with an unsettling mix of emotions. He was furious that a stranger had just talked to him in that way. He missed Dean and nearly teared up at the thought that he would have to spend another night alone in their bed. And he was angry at Crowley for brushing him off, and not least at Jody for locking Dean up in the first place.

“Castiel, how can I help you?”

“I wanted to ask about Dean. Is there any news?”

“Oh, Castiel, you know I can’t tell you anything. I wish I could.”

“You are the Captain. You can do anything you want.”

“You know that’s not true, Officer Novak. I have to follow the rules just like everyone else.”

“All right. If you cannot tell me anything about the investigation, then let me talk to Dean myself.”

“Can’t do that either, I’m afraid.” Castiel noticed how Jody got irritated at his tone. “Why don’t you take the rest of the day off, Castiel, and go home. Try to get your mind off things.”

“And how do you suggest I do that? Should I just sit down and read a good book? Have a nice cup of tea? While my mate is in jail.”

“Castiel, listen…”

“No, you listen! I don’t care about the rules! Shut up with your stupid rules!” Castiel added in a way that sounded more like Dean than himself. “If you won’t tell me anything, then I’ll just find another way.”

Jody’s eyes widened – and Castiel realised he had gone too far. He hadn’t meant to yell, but he was so angry, and exhausted. He opened his mouth to apologise, but then someone behind him cleared his throat. He turned around and saw Detective Rogers looming behind him. Oh hell.

Jody cleared her throat, eyes fixed more on Victor Rogers than Castiel. “Since you seem to be unwilling to follow my orders, I have no choice but to suspend you, Castiel. Don’t come back until next week. You may call Donna to check on updates regarding Dean. But I don’t want to see you in this precinct for the next days. And I swear, if you get caught anywhere near Dean’s cell without my permission, I might just lock _you_ up for trespassing.”

Jody’s words sounded forced, and Castiel contemplated if she hadn’t been that strict if they had not been overheard. But yelling at your Captain would usually call for repercussions.

Jody’s gaze softened. “Go home, Cas. Things will turn out fine.”

Castiel walked past Detective Rogers on his way out. But while he had expected him to look gleeful for witnessing Castiel’s suspension, the beta only seemed bad-tempered, just like Sam had said.

Sam. Castiel remembered how the omega had warned them about getting into trouble with Jody.

Too late for that now.

 

>><< 

 

Since he was no longer tolerated at the precinct, Castiel at least had now all the time in the world to check out the hotel for secret passages. He just hoped no other officer was at the crime scene anymore – but Jody had only forbidden him to be seen at the police station. If he chose to have a cup of coffee at one of the most prestigious places in town, no one could object, right?

Just as he walked through the door of the police station and out to the street, he heard a voice behind him.

“Now, Cassie, I try not to sound too disappointed, but my heart truly is braking. I thought we were friends.”

Castiel turned around and looked straight into Balthazar’s face.

“Your alpha gets arrested and you don’t call me for help? Now your little gang had a very obvious secret meeting to plan some elaborate schemes to get him out of jail – and I don’t even get invited.”

“It was not like we planed the meeting…” Castiel mumbled, feeling a bit guilty, but even more impatient. “I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you since…”

“Ah, don’t worry, Cassie.” Balthazar threw an arm around Castiel’s shoulders. “How about I just accompany you to wherever you’re headed, and we can exchange information on the way.”

Castiel tried to make excuses, but the beta didn’t listen. “No, Cassie, with your determined expression, wherever you are going – it’ll be exciting. And I’m all for exciting,”

So, after a short internal battle, Castiel agreed. The beta managed to persuade him to a quick stop at a diner first, guessing right that Castiel had not eaten anything so far, and it was already well in the afternoon. After a bit of persuasion, Balthazar even coaxed him to summarise everything he knew so far. The beta listened mostly in silence – but after Castiel had admitted he got suspended for yelling at the Captain in her own office, Balthazar seemed honestly impressed.

“Wow, Cas, I didn’t know you had it in you. I mean, yeah, you can be involuntarily rude and impatient – but yelling at your boss? Kudos.” Castiel kicked Balthazar’s ankle under the table. “And for someone who is not supposed to get any information, you surely know a lot. But what about the alleged murder weapon? Maybe I can add a little to your theories?”

“What!” Castiel choked on the last bite of his sandwich and coughed for a whole minute while Balthazar looked smug. “You know about the murder weapon?”

“Like I said before, you should have talked sooner to your buddy from the evidence department. Okay, now I’m overselling it.” Balthazar picked up an invisible piece of fluff from his ridiculously low-cut shirt before he explained: “Here’s what I know: There have been found three sets of fingerprints in the hotel room. One from Uriel, one from a member of the maintenance crew – and the third person is not found out yet. Might be the murderer, might as well be an old guest. We may never know – that’s the problem with public spaces. Point is, it was not from Dean. He either hasn’t touched anything, or has cleaned it. The only evidence we found of Dean’s presence seems to be some particle of skin under Uriel’s nails – not that that’s as important as I thought half an hour ago. I didn’t know that Dean has admitted to a little non-deadly brawl from the start. Smart move.”

Castiel just stared at Balthazar, not at all amused.

“As you already know, Uriel died from a blow to the back of his head with a hard object. We don’t know for sure what the murder weapon is yet, but:” He made a pause for dramatic reasons, but Castiel only wanted to strangle him, “we have an idea of what it might have been. Uriel’s assistant came in today, and according to her, the only thing that’s missing is Uriel’s cane. Seriously, a cane? You once fell for a guy who occasionally uses a cane? Without needing it for medical reasons?” After another angry look from Castiel, Balthazar went on: “Anyway, it might have been the murder weapon. The size and the weight seem to fit.”

“How do you know all that?” Castiel asked in disbelief.

“As always, you underestimate my charm. There is a cute girl in forensics who really digs my accent. And my evidence crew – well, we all like to gossip.”

Castiel just blinked.

“So, Cassie, and now let’s look for secret passages in Peaceful Haven. You’re lucky I agreed to come with you – I don’t want to see you when you get busted stalking the corridors. Don’t hate me, but you don’t know how to act inconspicuous on a good day, and you always take about half an hour to make up excuses. Not to mention you are a horrible liar.”

“I think there are worse things than being a bad liar,” Castiel mumbled grumpily.

“Oh, you would, darling.”

 

>><< 

 

As it turned out, it _was_ helpful to have Balthazar with him. They were caught twice sniffing around by hotel personnel – and the beta had easily sweet-talked their way out of it before anyone called security.

Their endeavour had even been successful since, after some trials and errors, they had found a route to come in at the back entrance, walk to Uriel’s still taped door and exit through the rear door again without being recorded. And Castiel assumed that, in the late evening, you didn’t even meet that many people on the way.

They had just left Peaceful Haven – this time through the front door – when Castiel nearly stumbled into a man who was just about to get inside a taxi. He had been so pleased about their progress, his steps had been too fast and his mind too distracted to pay much attention to his surroundings.

“Castiel Smith? Is that really you?”

Castiel supressed the urge to turn around and run away.

Dick Roman was standing in front of him, a big suitcase in hand and a wide smirk on his face. Castiel was surprised to see the smile. He had always expected he would be yelled at if he ever crossed paths with Richard Roman again. After all, he had helped his wife to get divorced from him, and to take an unreasonable sum of money with her. But Roman only smiled down at Castiel with a predatory glint, then he looked at Balthazar, and back to Castiel again.

“But Smith is not your real name, is it, Detective Novak? And you two work on the murder case, I assume? Pity. Had I known you were on the case, I would have insisted you question me instead of that slimy beta.” He waved at the taxi driver to wait for him for a moment. “So, how are you, Castiel? I followed the trial of the Full Moon Killers on the news, of course. Do you feel like a hero – or are you disappointed that Alastair basically got away?” He leaned forwards and whispered conspiratorially. “We both know that psycho should be locked away for life.”

Castiel just stared at him.

“Anyway, the news said you are a researcher, and not a real detective.” Castiel felt sick. He got the feeling that Richard Roman had followed his story quite closely. He didn’t want that man to know _anything_ about him. “And how’s Dean? I must admit I liked him. And he seemed so possessive of you – I guess he is just a really good actor.”

Castiel narrowed his eyes. Did Roman not know that Dean and he were an item? The news had only ever reported about the detectives’ _pretended_ relationship –luckily, only few reporters had ever found out it had become real some time after their undercover mission and kept quiet about it, thanks to Jody’s influence. Maybe, if Roman got his information from the papers, he really did not know Castiel and Dean were together. Or was he just playing with him now? But for one thing, Castiel was pretty sure that Dick Roman had no idea that Dean had been arrested for murder.

“And you remember that time he used his Alpha Voice on you?” Roman snickered. “Must have been so degrading to be ordered around like that, considering you were supposed to be working _together_. But that just shows that alphas will always be the master race.”

“How do you know Uriel Garrison, Mr Roman?” Balthazar asked when Castiel still only stared at the alpha. His clenched fists showed that the beta would much rather punch him, but he settled for changing the subject.

Dick Roman raised an eyebrow. “Are you officers that bad at communication? Like I told that Detective Rogers yesterday, I didn’t know Uriel. Not until a few days ago. We were both here on business, and at a coincidental meeting in the hotel bar, we found out we had a few shared interests. Government bonds and…” he looked Castiel up and down in a way that made the omega want to vomit, “… some special rarities.”

“And by that you mean male omegas?” Balthazar asked bluntly. “You know, they are not so rare they could be considered exotic.”

“You must know, being a beta.” Dick Roman looked at Castiel again. “I would sure like to continue this conversation, but I have to catch a flight.”

Castiel was surprised. Had Rogers not told Roman that he needed to stay in the city? Did he not consider him a suspect? A tiny voice in his mind told Castiel that there was probably no reason to assume as much – Castiel most likely would not have interpreted their meeting suspicious. But unlike Rogers, he knew Dick Roman.

“Where have you been on Saturday night?” Finally, Castiel had found his voice.

“Like I told your colleague already, I was at a business convention. There are dozens of witnesses. So I am free to go wherever I want. Not that I would have had any reason to harm Mr Garrison anyway. He seemed like an honourable man. But of course, you can still reach me if you have further questions. I left my number with Rogers.” He looked at Castiel, and finally there was a hint of anger beneath the smugness. “And you even know where I live, don’t you, Castiel?”

With no more goodbye, he got into the waiting car that drove off quickly.

Balthazar turned to Castiel. “What a Dick.”

Castiel only shrugged. He had known that much before.

While they were walking back in the direction of the precinct, Castiel mulled over Roman’s alibi. He had not really considered him a suspect before – mostly because for the last two days he had only been interested to prove who had _not_ killed Uriel – but he thought it might be possible. If he was angered, Castiel believed, Roman was capable of anything. He just hoped Rogers had checked that alibi thoroughly. It was easy to slip away in a crowd unnoticed.

But what would be his motive?

 

>><< 

 

Castiel and Balthazar separated at the police station. The beta had to get back inside to pick up the things he had left there hours ago, while Castiel only needed his car. He hardly remembered to thank his friend again before he made his way home.

Still in the car, Castiel called Crowley again, who didn’t pick up.

Same luck with Sam.

It was already after six, and Castiel hoped Gabriel would be back in his apartment already. They had agreed that his brother would stay with him until Dean came back home. Castiel just hoped this would not turn into a long-term solution.

His hope of company was crushed when Gabriel texted him just as Castiel exited the car: _Sorry, have to work late, baby bro. There is still a ton of leftover food in the fridge. Eat. I will know if you just throw it away._

Castiel opened the door to his apartment and let out a long sigh. How should he survive the evening without company? He assumed he could make a chart. Write down everything he knew about Uriel and his death. Possible suspects. Times and places.

He took off his coat and his shoes, walked to the living room and looked out the window, watching the sunset as the apartment turned dark.

He took in a deep breath. Then another one.

Something wasn’t right.

This couldn’t be.

When he felt strong arms around his waist, Castiel turned quickly around, ready to defend himself against any possible attacker, even though he did not feel threatened at all.

But then he looked into glistening green eyes, and only managed to breath out:

“Dean?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This does not count as a cliffhanger!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone. I’m sorry this update took so long, but work was kinda crazy lately, and then I got a nasty cold on top (because otherwise it wouldn’t be half as much fun, would it?). I fear it will take me two or three weeks for every chapter from now on since I’m pretty packed with annoying grown-up-stuff for the foreseeable future. But even if I’ll need more time than usual, this story is definitely not abandoned! :-D
> 
> And I hope you don’t mind some Destiel-alone-time, because that’s basically all that happens here (more plot can be found in the next chapter, promise).

**SEVEN**

 

Castiel opened the door to his apartment and let out a long sigh. How should he survive the evening without company? He assumed he could make a chart. Write down everything he knew about Uriel and his death. Possible suspects. Times and places.

He took off his coat and his shoes, walked to the living room and looked out the window, watching the sunset as the apartment turned dark.

He took in a deep breath. Then another one.

Something wasn’t right.

This couldn’t be.

When he felt strong arms around his waist, Castiel turned quickly around, ready to defend himself against any possible attacker, even though he did not feel threatened at all.

But then he looked into glistening green eyes, and only managed to breath out:

“Dean?”

Involuntarily, Castiel stepped back so he could get a better look at his mate.

“Hey, baby. Did you miss me?” Even in the dim room, Castiel could see the cocky smirk around Dean’s lips.

“Dean,” Castiel said again because his mind didn’t seem able to come up with anything else. He didn’t understand – Dean was not supposed to be here. Then, slowly, he managed to put his thoughts into actual words: “What are you doing here?”

As Dean lifted an eyebrow, Castiel had to admit his question had sounded more like an accusation. But seriously, what _was_ Dean doing here?

“Well, you know, this is as much my apartment as it is yours, so…”

And now he was even joking! That insufferable man. Still some feet away from Dean, Castiel pinched the bridge of his nose and tried not to yell at the alpha.

“I know that this is your place. But shouldn’t you be in jail?” Castiel’s eyes widened as he had an idea. A horrible idea. “Did you break out?”

“And then I ran straight home? I wouldn’t say I’m a genius, Cas, but I hope I am brighter than that.” Dean stepped forward and took Castiel’s hands in his. When the omega did not object, he pulled him towards his chest. “Crowley got me out. At least for the time being. And to be honest, I thought you would be happy to see me.”

“Of course I’m happy to see you,” Castiel mumbled as he rested his head on Dean’s shoulder. Now that he knew Dean had not done anything stupid – though Crowley still might have – he allowed himself to relax in Dean’s embrace. “I just… this is a bit sudden. I talked to Crowley this morning and he wouldn’t tell me anything. No one would. I was so sure they would keep you under arrest for a while. And now you’ve already been waiting here for me… you should have told me as soon as they let you go. I could’ve picked you up. Or at least I would have been at home when you arrived.”

“I wanted to surprise you. But then again, I expected you to fall happily into my arms immediately instead of eyeing me up with that suspiciously scrunched-up nose. Serves me right for forgetting how much you hate surprises.” Dean turned his head slightly and pressed his lips to Castiel’s temple. Then his voice turned low and trembled with silent laughter when he added: “At least I hoped you would be pleased since Crowley said you made a somewhat soppy declaration of love towards me this morning.”

Castiel frowned. “I… It wasn’t soppy. I just wanted you to know that I believe in you and that I would wait for you.”

Dean’s arms around Castiel tightened for a moment, then he pulled him towards the couch and both men sat down, hands still entangled.

“Thank you, Cas. I don’t know what I have ever done to deserve you, but knowing that you believed me, even though all evidence suggested I killed that jerk, you have no idea how much that meant to me. I might have gone crazy in that cell otherwise.”

Castiel’s gaze wandered over Dean’s face. With the smirk from before gone, he could see that the alpha looked tired and exhausted. There seemed also doubt lurking in his eyes – maybe that Castiel had changed his mind, or maybe that he didn’t deserve someone who trusted him unconditionally – and the omega said firmly: “Of course you didn’t do it.”

Dean let out a long breath, like he had been holding it for minutes. Then he scoffed. “Someone insults my mate and then challenges me to my face on a Full Moon? And I lose it and kill him? Seriously, Cas, even _I_ think that sounds a lot like me.”

“No, it doesn’t. You might be a bit short-tempered at times, but not so much that you lose control of yourself.” Dean just looked doubtful, so Castiel tried another route. “And even if you did what they say, you would have never come back and lied down next to me like nothing had happened. You would not have lied to my face about it when Jody arrested you.”

Dean still didn’t look convinced, but that was all right. Castiel was used to the fact that he thought better of his alpha than Dean himself. But he was not blind. He knew Dean might lie his head off if he thought it would somehow protect Castiel, but he wouldn’t do it to protect himself.

Instead of arguing his point any more, Castiel changed the topic: “But what happened? From all I’ve heard today, I feared they wouldn’t let you go until trial started – or someone caught the real murderer by accident.”

“You and me both.” Dean huffed out a humourless laugh. “Rogers seemed to be sure I was guilty before he even asked me the first question. And like I said, it doesn’t look good for me.”

“I don’t like Detective Rogers,” Castiel stated and crossed his arms.

“I agree whole-heartedly. I mean, I never really got along with him before, but since I know how he acts around suspects, it’s even worse. He seems to be so cock-sure of himself that it doesn’t even occur to him he could be wrong about someone. Or rather, like he doesn’t really care. Maybe he thinks that even if someone might not be as guilty as he thought – well, the many people he had put behind bars justified a few minor mistakes. Unfortunately, he is really smart and intuitive. He sure knows how to push all the right buttons.” Dean growled. “But Crowley wouldn’t have any of it. I admit, when I first saw who you got me as a lawyer, I was mad. I mean, it’s _Crowley_ , man! But he did a damn good job so far. He blamed Rogers for not having checked if anyone else had visited Uriel on Saturday; he accused him for not looking for the murder weapon anywhere but here; he even brought up some murder I had solved many years ago where I seemingly made Rogers look like a fool for arresting the wrong guy. Hell, _I_ didn’t even remember that. And every question Rogers tried to ask was rejected for being too suggestive or deliberately provocative. In the end, Rogers had to let me go, or it would have looked like he was on a personal vendetta.”

“But you’re not really cleared, are you? You’re still the main suspect?” Castiel asked, and he hated how timid his voice sounded. He had somehow hoped Dean would have been dismissed as the killer altogether, due to some new developments. Maybe a hotel employee could have seen Uriel after Dean had left the building or something. That would have been nice.

“Well, yes. I think Rogers may be even more dogged to get me convicted now. He did not like that he had to let me go. He made it quite clear that this was only temporary, if he had anything to say about it. Of course I’m still suspended. And I’m not allowed to even leave the city. But at least I can sleep in my own bed for the time being.” He winked at Castiel. “And I think we should use the time wisely. Conjugal visits don’t sound very satisfying. I mean, I’m not sure if I will be able to even get it up with Jody and Crowley waiting on the other side of the door or something.”

“This isn’t funny, Dean!” Castiel almost yelled, horrified at the outlook that Dean might have to spend any length of time in prison.

“It’s a little bit funny.” But when Castiel only glowered at his partner, his face got serious. “Come here, baby.” Dean pulled the shorter man towards him until Castiel was almost on Dean’s lap and his head rested on the crook of the alpha’s neck. “I missed you. There is nothing we can do about the future right now, so how about we just enjoy ourselves tonight. I already called Sam and Bobby, neither will come around tonight. It’s just us.”

Castiel wasn’t sure he would be able to forget all about their current problems, but he nodded anyway.

“Have you eaten? There is a ton of food in the fridge. Gabriel has outdone himself last night.”

While Dean stood up to prepare dinner from the leftovers, Castiel remembered to text his brother that he didn’t need to stop by tonight. He absent-mindedly noticed that his message might have been a bit curt, but it was not like Gabriel wasn’t used to it.

Half an hour later, the couple ate in quiet for a while. But it wasn’t a comfortable silence; it seemed tense. Castiel understood that Dean did not want to talk about their current problem so he desperately looked for something to say that wouldn’t kill the mood again, and Dean seemed to have the same intention.

“So, how was work today?” Dean finally asked and Castiel almost laughed at the trivial question. Then Dean frowned. “Did anyone give you a hard time? Having your boyfriend in jail can’t be much fun in a police station.”

So much for ignoring their predicament for the rest of the night. But Castiel was glad to answer – better that than ending up with a talk about the weather. He wasn’t a good conversationalist on a good day.

“Dean, most people know me through you – that means they are more concerned about you than me. You’re kind of a legend, you know. I think most people believe you’re innocent or are at least shocked about the accusations. But I can’t be too sure what they all thought, because hardly anyone even talked to me. I fear Jody has intimidated them. But generally, the atmosphere resembled a funeral.”

“Maybe that’s gonna change when you tell them that I am back home tomorrow.”

Castiel looked bashful at his peas and picked them up one by one with his fork.

“Cas?”

“I fear I won’t be able find out how they’ll react to the good news.” Castiel cleared his throat. “I might have been suspended for the rest of the week.”

“Wha.. How?  What did you do?” Dean looked shocked, and almost irritated.

“I might have yelled at the Captain. For not allowing me to talk to you.”

Dean barked out a humourless laugh. “You see the irony here, right?”

Castiel gave a jerky nod. “But it seemed so unfair. No one would tell me anything. Not even Crowley. And I just got so mad at Jody. She knows you longer than I do. Surely she doesn’t think you’re capable to just walk around and kill people!”

“Cas, baby, no… you know she had no other choice than to arrest me.”

Castiel nodded again; he did know. “I was just so furious. And I think she was irritated as well – when I arrived, Gordon Walker was talking to her. And then there was Rogers waiting in the hallway…”

“Wait – what? Gordon was there? What did _he_ want?”

Anger rose in Castiel again as he thought back at his short meeting with the alpha. “I didn’t hear the whole conversation, but I think he wanted his old job back. Must have said something about how your judgement could not be considered trustworthy anymore. And Jody refused.”

“Did he talk to you?” There was a growl in his voice – either he knew Gordon well or Dean had picked up on Castiel’s scent that something was wrong.

“He might have made some inappropriate comments on his way out.” Castiel could see Dean’s knuckles turn white as the alpha gripped his knife tighter. “But anyway, Jody denied his request, and asked him to leave. And then we had our little argument.”

Dean frowned. “Still, doesn’t seem like her to just kick you out.”

“She didn’t really have a chance. Rogers heard me saying that I…” Castiel looked concentrated at his remaining peas once more, feeling strangely embarrassed. “… that if Jody wouldn’t help me, I would just find another way to get you out.”

Dean groaned. “Cas, I’m really grateful you believe in me, but I don’t want you to get into any more trouble than you already did. You really should not get involved in all this.”

Castiel rearranged his potatoes and carrots on his plate, stubbornly avoiding Dean’s gaze.

“Cas? You didn’t… You didn’t already do something stupid, right?”

Finally, the omega made the mistake of looking up and into the alpha’s eyes. Dean’s glance was so intent that Castiel couldn’t help himself – he told Dean everything about the last couple of days. Bobby’s report, the gang’s little meeting in Castiel’s office and what Charlie had found out, Balthazar’s tip about the possible murder weapon, and at last their run-in with Dick Roman.

Dean had managed to stay silent for most of the time, even though his glare got more intense by the minute, but after Castiel had told about how Richard Roman had talked to Castiel, he exploded – and Castiel was just glad Dean’s anger had shifted from him to Roman for the moment.

“That asshole! And seriously, I think it’s suspicious he was at the same hotel as Uriel. I’ve even been thinking about that last night. Maybe all that talk about them first meeting a few days ago is complete bullshit. I mean, they could have even been business partners for some time or something. Maybe Uriel lost Dick a lot of money – ha did work as a broker after all. And maybe Dick had him killed in revenge.” Then something seemed to hit Dean and his tone suddenly changed completely. “That is… those are aspects I might look into if I were on the case. But I am not. And neither are you.” He took the omega’s hand. “I don’t want you to get involved. I don’t want you to do anything stupid that might get you fired, or even indicted for obstruction of justice, or some shit like that. Please, promise me that you will stay out of it.”

Castiel stared into Dean’s eyes. There was a stubbornness there he knew all too well, but also something else. “All right, Dean, I will promise – if you will do the same.”

Dean twitched, and Castiel knew he had guessed right. Dean might be thinking it was too risky for _Castiel_ to get involved, but the alpha had no intention of staying out of it himself.

“That’s different, Cas. I’m already in deep. I can hardly make it worse for myself. But you already got suspended and you…”

 “Dean,” Castiel announced in a tone that had the alpha shut up instantly. “You are my mate, even if I don’t wear your mark yet. I will not stand by and watch when I can just as well help you. What would you say if the situation was reverse? If I had been accused of murder, would you just sit back and twirl your thumbs?”

The two men glared at each other. Both knew the answer to that question. But Castiel did not give Dean the chance to explain to him how that situation would be completely different – though Castiel was almost tempted to see Dean try to come up with another argument than that he was the mighty alpha while Castiel was just an omega in need of protection. Castiel understood that Dean did not believe in old-fashioned stereotypes, but it was just as true that the alpha had a protective streak that could get strong enough to annoy Castiel. Knowing this line of thinking would only lead to another argument, Castiel added: “And even if you get _me_ to back out, there are still Sam and Eileen, Charlie, Benny. And even Bobby. You think you can talk all of them out of helping you?” Dean looked oddly torn for someone who had just heard that his friends would not abandon him. “We all want to support you, Dean. And it would be a lot easier if you were on our side. Investigating in two separate teams seems counter-productive.” 

A short laugh escaped Dean’s lips before he gave in: “Fine. Wouldn’t want to be _counter-productive_ here.” He leaned forwards and pressed his lips on Castiel’s, hard and quick. “But be careful. Let’s not do anything too obvious, none of us.” Castiel was relieved; he had not anticipated Dean would be convinced so easily. Dean’s hand stroked over Castiel’s arm, then he took his hand and kissed him on the palm in a way that sent a shiver down Castiel’s back. “But can you do me a favour, baby? Let’s not talk about Uriel or the murder or some clever plan to get me out for the rest of the night.” Dean kissed the tip on every finger of Castiel’s right hand. Then he sucked Castiel’s index into his mouth and Castiel shuddered when he felt the light scratch of teeth. If Dean had wanted to divert him from the matter at hand, he was doing a damn good job. Especially when Dean’s other hand rubbed over Castiel’s neck and up his scalp in a way that had the omega lean into the touch like a cat. Dean knew him too well by now. “You know, jail is not fun. I was starting to think of myself a monk. Cold walls, a hard bed, and that whole celibacy-thing.”

Castiel had to laugh at that. “Dean, you’ve been gone for two days. I know you like sex, but even you can hold it together that long.”

Dean pushed his chair back. Despite his words, Castiel let himself be pulled on Dean’s lap and the alpha used the sudden closeness to start nibbling lightly at Castiel’s neck. The stubble on Dean’s face scratched the omega’s sensitive skin in the best way.

“True. But you forget about Saturday night. We hardly touched _and_ that was a Full Moon.”

“That was solely your fault. I had been waiting for you all night. I even put on some of your worn clothes.”

Castiel had meant the words in a teasing manner – well, mostly, for he _had_ waited on Dean and his usual Full-Moon-passion – but he regretted them as soon as he saw the painful expression on Dean’s face.

“I am so sorry, Cas. I’m sorry I was stupid enough to meet with Uriel. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about his texts. I’m sorry I punched him. I’m sorry I…”

Dean was interrupted when Castiel kissed him suddenly on the lips. It was a gentle touch. When the omega leaned back, Dean started to say something else, and Castiel repeated his action. This time, their kiss grew longer, but it was just as tender. Then Castiel took Dean’s head in both of his hands until the alpha looked up at him.

“You don’t have to apologise. I understand. I know now what kind of texts Uriel sent, and I know that you were just trying to protect me. Yes, it was not your brightest moment, and yes, I would have been angry when you told me about it. But let’s be honest: If Uriel had not died, then I would’ve simply scolded you for acting like a hot-head, but we probably would have forgotten about the incident by now.” Castiel kissed Dean again, who looked overly moved at his little speech. “But I hope you won’t keep anything like that from me again.”

Castiel almost expected a cheeky response from Dean, but all the alpha said was: “I promise, Cas.” And then he claimed Castiel’s lips in a sudden passion that surprised both of them. Minutes later, Dean seemed to get uncomfortable on the hard kitchen chair, and he rose, not letting go of Castiel, and carried the omega to their bedroom, remnants of their dinner completely forgotten. Castiel tightened his legs around Dean’s waist and let out a small giggle of joy. Dean was home.

Dean basically threw Castiel on the bed so that the omega bounced up twice, which just made him giggle even harder. His glance wandered around the room and to the bag Dean had packed for jail. He frowned at a piece of cloth hanging out of it. Castiel turned on the bed and tugged at it, then held it out to Dean.

“You took that ugly thing with you to jail?” Castiel asked in a disbelieving tone.

It was the scarf Castiel had knitted during their time in Little Heaven. Naomi had practically forced him to contribute something for her _Knitting for the Veterans_ program, and, despite his lack of skill, Castiel had finally managed something that reminded a scarf as well as he was capable of. There had been an auction afterwards, and Dean, despite him being the only bidder for the piece, had paid five times the price the auctioneer had asked for. It warmed Castiel’s heart to think back to that day – he and Dean had not even started their relationship back then, even though Castiel had already been head over heels for the alpha. And during the last winter, Dean had actually worn this thing on cold days. In public.

Dean just shrugged at the dark green scarf with the irregular pattern and announced: “Of course; it’s my lucky charm.”

At those words, Castiel let the scarf fall to the floor, looked up at Dean, who was still standing next to the bed, and said with all his heart in his voice: “I love you so much.”

Dean responded by closing the distance between them and pulling Castiel into another passionate kiss. Soon, both men tugged at each other’s clothes until both of them were completely nude. Castiel pulled Dean down so the alpha was lying on his back with Castiel straddling his hips. The omega let his hands wander up and down the other man’s chest, enjoying the little humming sounds when he played with his nipples and the harsh intake of breath when his hands stroked lightly over his stomach, or leaving a trail of goose-bumps on his arms. Castiel had lost all urgency from before. He was in no hurry, he just wanted to feel Dean, to assure himself that the alpha was really there. He took a deep breath and felt butterflies in his stomach at the strong alpha scent, remembering how he had feared Dean’s scent might soon leave him.

“I missed you,” Castiel breathed out, sounding sad and happy at the same time. Dean let his own hands wander up Castiel’s body, but the omega, still on top, took both of his hands and held them on either side of Dean’s head on the pillow. “No. Lie back.”

Castiel didn’t know why, but he wanted to caress Dean, to affirm himself of his presence, without getting side-tracked. This was about Dean. The alpha hesitated and looked like it was physically painful to keep his hands off Castiel, but then he simply nodded and let his arms fall to his sides as Castiel leaned down and kissed Dean’s perfect lips again, then his jaw that was scruffier than usual, and down his throat. When he licked at one nipple, Castiel could feel Dean’s arms twitch, but the alpha still didn’t move. And Castiel took his time. Just as his hands before, Castiel’s lips, and occasionally his teeth and tongue, wandered over shoulders and arms, the broad chest, down to the stomach. Castiel’s hands stroked over Dean’s thighs, but he ignored the hard cock – as much as his own – for a long while. He breathed in the heady scent of slick and alpha arousal and let out a purring sound.

Finally, Castiel reached up behind himself and Dean let out a loud moan, knowing fully well what Castiel was doing. A second later, the omega’s hands were covered in his slick and he then slowly moved them up and down Dean’s hard cock. This time, Castiel let out a little moan of himself, enjoying the feel beneath his hands and the look on Dean’s face. The alpha slowly moved his hips up into Castiel’s hands and the little growl he let out told Castiel that at least the alpha was getting impatient. He smirked at Dean’s hands that had balled into fists, knowing how hard it was for the alpha to still not touch his partner, but at the same time Castiel could see how much he enjoyed all the gentle touches and the way Castiel took care of him. It was usually Dean who had the more active part in their lovemaking, while Castiel needed to be coaxed out of his shell a bit, still blushing sometimes like he had on their first night together. At least he did not worry anymore if he was attractive enough or if he was doing something wrong. Castiel had come to know what Dean liked just as much as the alpha knew how to get his partner over the edge with just a few simple touches.

When Castiel lightly rubbed his palm over the head of Dean’s member, the alpha let out another moan, and Castiel, who was more than a little bit aroused by now as well, finally took pity on him. He pushed himself up a little, and slowly sank down on the alpha’s cock with a moan of his own.

“Cas,” Dean’s voice was hoarse, almost like a growl, and Castiel knew what the alpha wanted to say. Dean did not like it when Castiel took him in without preparation. But Castiel had told his partner countless times that it wasn’t necessary, that as long as he was slick enough even a male omega was perfectly fine to take a knot. And right now, Castiel did not want to argue, instead he ignored Dean and only stopped moving when the large cock was fully inside him.

He let out a groan, feeling full and complete and perfect. Then he leaned down to kiss Dean on the lips, and started moving, slow at first, like he had done the whole night. He could feel Dean’s hands on his thighs, massaging up and down his buttocks just the way Castiel liked it.

Castiel looked into Dean’s green eyes and whispered: “Don’t leave me again.” Dean did not reply, only buckled his hips up in a way that drew another moan out of Castiel. The omega’s moves quickened, still atop the alpha, he tipped his head to the side, baring his neck while he basically bounced up and down, hands on Dean’s shoulders. He could see in the alpha’s eyes that Dean was close and tightened his hole to finally push him over the edge. And sure enough, a second later, Dean came inside of him, and at the same time, the alpha sat up and bit into Castiel’s neck, having the omega cry out his own release with a loud _Dean_ only a few seconds later. Dean’s knot locked them together, and Castiel let his head fall on Dean’s shoulder, being held up only by the alpha at this point. Dean licked at his throat, causing the wound to close instantly, leaving only a mark behind.

Dean then lied back down, Castiel flat in top of him. Castiel’s body seemed to tug at the alpha’s knot the right way at the movement as Dean let out a low growl, and Castiel mewled when he felt Dean releasing new spurs of come inside of him.

“I missed you, too, baby,” Dean whispered. His hands stroked hungrily over Castiel’s back and thighs, like Dean needed to make up for the last hour when he hardly touched his mate.

“I hope my next heat comes around soon. I can’t wait until you finally claim me,” the omega mumbled out drowsily.

Castiel could feel Dean’s cock twitch at his words and he moaned out again. But otherwise, Dean did not respond and Castiel moved his head up enough to look at Dean’s face that wore a calculating expression.

“Dean? You do still want to mate, right?”

“Of course I do, baby. I just thought… with all that’s going on… maybe you would be better off if we postponed this mating to once this is all over. You know, in case…”

He didn’t need to finish his sentence. Castiel knew what his alpha was trying to say: He did not want Castiel to wear his mark in case Dean would be sentenced to a life in prison.

“Don’t be stupid,” was all Castiel was willing to answer and rested his head on Dean’s chest again. After a minute of silence, Dean let out a short grunt.

Castiel decided to take it as agreement.

 

>><< 

 

Castiel woke up with his alpha next to him. And for a few happy minutes, he refused to open his eyes and pretended that the last three days had been nothing but a horrible nightmare.

But in the end, he knew he didn’t have a choice.

As soon as he opened his eyes, Dean kissed him, and Castiel thought that maybe he could deal with reality after all.

“Gabriel called,” Dean finally said. “He seemed pretty surprised that I picked up the phone. I guess your text yesterday didn’t say everything that needed to be said.”

Castiel frowned. “I told him he needn’t come over and that I’m fine.”

“And that’s all?” Castiel nodded, and Dean chuckled. “Well, then I think we can be glad that he didn’t come around anyway. I don’t need him to interrupt us having a private moment again. Once was embarrassing enough.”

“If _you_ thought it was embarrassing then think how horrible it must have been for _me_. He is _my_ brother.”

“But _my_ ass was facing his way.”

Castiel slapped his shoulder and Dean laughed, until Castiel said: “See? That’s s why I don’t want to have sex in public spaces, like the copy room. It’s only going to end in embarrassment.”

“Aw, baby, but it’s also really exciting. And we could always lock the door.”

Dean did his sexy eyebrow thing, and Castiel chuckled lightly. It felt wonderful to engage in a little light banter right after waking up. Until he remembered that maybe they would never again be in the police station together, that Dean might never again try to coax him into a little bit of fun in the office – and Dean instantly noticed when his scent turned sour. The alpha kissed him again, until Castiel felt dizzy, and then suggested: “What about a shower? That’s not a public place.”

“Isn’t that too complicated?” Castiel asked with a cheeky grin, remembering something Dean had said months ago, even though they had taken advantage of their bathroom countless times before.

“Sure, for amateurs, but I’m a pro.”

“A shower might be acceptable then.”

Dean was up and pulling Castiel with him in an instant. And only a few minutes later, Castiel found himself with his back against the bathroom wall, his legs around Dean’s waist, moaning out his climax in a spray of warm water.

It had been good to start the day in that playful manner. Castiel was not as tense as he might have been otherwise, and the world didn’t look quite so grim when his body was still tingling all over.

After he had dried up, Castiel called Gabriel again while Dean talked to Sam. Afterwards, the couple prepared breakfast together.

Castiel had just sipped at his painfully hot coffee when Dean explained: “Crowley wants to talk to me again this afternoon while Sam and Charlie want to come by tonight and tell us about what they found out. And I also made us an appointment for lunch.”

Castiel raised his eyebrow. His mate had been busy already.

“So, whom will we have lunch with?”

“You know, I have planned a little double date for us. I think it’s time to welcome my best friend’s new boyfriend into the crowd.”

Enlightenment showed on Castiel’s face. “You want to interrogate Victor Henriksen.”

“Oh, no. That would be wrong. I just want to meet my friend _Benny_ , who happens to be a detective, but that’s not my fault. And I hope to make a better impression on his new partner than last time. We will just have a friendly chat.”

“And you think that’s possible? Being all nice and friendly?”

Dean was not stupid and realised immediately what Castiel was hinting at. His face turned serious. “I really hope Victor has nothing to do with Uriel’s death. But those two phone calls seem suspicious – and the best lead we might have so far. Other than Dick Roman. And since we already know Henriksen’s boyfriend… it seems like it would be stupid not to use it to our advantage.”

Dean ran his hand through his damp hair and for a moment he looked very tired. Castiel wondered if he had found any sleep last night. He himself had slept so deep he would not have noticed if Dean had paced the apartment all night long.

“I didn’t say I don’t agree with you, Dean. It _is_ suspicious. But I would feel bad for Benny if it turned out that Victor was involved in Uriel’s death. And we should be careful – if we come off too forceful, and Victor is innocent, we might alienate Benny as well as his new partner.”

“I know, Cas. I will try to be polite. It’s just… we have to start somewhere. This is all a mess – without our badges, we can hardly question anyone. Not to mention that we have to be careful to not get Jody into trouble with the FI.” Dean’s hands gripped his mug tightly. “And who would have wanted Uriel dead anyway?” He scoffed and put the mug down on the table. “I mean, there are probably a thousand people who wanted him dead, but how do we know? He doesn’t live here. Did someone follow him to Greenville? Or did he make an enemy that quickly – not that I would doubt that. And then there is that robbery. Maybe that has something to do with it. Maybe someone was looking for more money – if you can pay over a million dollars in cash, you might make a good target for some form of blackmailing. Maybe someone wanted to press him for more money, and the situation got out of hand.”

“I’ve been thinking, Dean, and… maybe this is not about Uriel at all? Maybe _you_ are the real target?”

“Me?” Dean looked at Castiel, surprised. “What do you mean?”

“What if it didn’t matter who died – maybe the murderer wanted to harm _you_?  Make you the number one suspect. Get you into jail for life. Think about it. Is there someone that might hold a grudge? Someone who would want revenge in that way?”

“Cas, I’m a detective; there are dozens of people who don’t like me too much if only because I arrested them. And I don’t know… this whole idea seems a bit far-fetched. It was Uriel who texted me. You think someone made him? Made him ask me to come to his hotel? And then they were hiding in the shadows – and once I left – pang! – killed Uriel just to blame me? Wouldn’t it make more sense to just kill me instead of Uriel then? Sounds a lot easier to me.”

Castiel had to agree there was some logic behind Dean’s words. And maybe the excitement of the last few days was playing with his mind, but he could not let go of the idea that this was more personal than Dean thought.

However, Castiel could not deny that a secret admirer with creepy presents, the sudden death of his former boyfriend and the arrest of his future mate – all of it in one week – might have just made him a bit paranoid.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry it took so long. I hope life will slow down around the holidays. <3

**EIGHT**

 

Like Dean had planned for them this morning, he and Castiel were on their way to a diner to meet with Benny and Victor for lunch. The place did not seem too inviting and looked a bit dingy overall – certainly not like Dean’s usual choice, the Roadhouse, nor was it the kind of place you would normally choose to meet your best friend’s new partner for the first time. But Castiel had to agree that it would be unlikely for some officer to stumble in on them in such a place, and Benny would probably agree. Hopefully, Victor would see the benefits as well.

When they arrived, about fifteen minutes early, Victor and Benny were already seated by the wall at the end of the dreary room, facing the front door. Dean let out a low growl that made Castiel fear things would not go over as smoothly as Dean had promised. But the alpha quickly turned his growl into a frustrated sigh, looking around the place in disappointment. Castiel almost chuckled when he realised what had bothered his alpha. Dean probably just didn’t like that Henriksen had managed to snatch the best seat in the whole diner – back to the wall with enough leg room to jump up any second if necessary, and a perfect view of the door and the whole room. Victor glanced at Dean with a definite smug look, and Castiel scoffed. Alphas. At least now he knew why Dean had been in such a hurry – even though he still wondered how alphas always seemed to expect an attack at any moment.

Castiel’s amusement didn’t last long as he watched Victor and Benny more closely. The omega had seen them together only once before and for no longer than an hour – after an embarrassing moment, no less, and on official business – but he still thought there was something off about them. Maybe Victor had not wanted to come here. Or maybe they had had a fight over Victor’s possible involvement in Uriel’s death. Whatever it was, Castiel hoped he and Dean would not complicate things further. He wanted Benny to be happy, not to alienate him from his boyfriend, or make him choose sides. At least Victor had agreed to come; that seemed to be a hopeful sign.

“Hey, Benny.” Dean managed to sound hospitable, like he had promised, “Victor, thank you for meeting us on such short notice. I’m sure you must be a busy man.”

Victor raised an eyebrow but took Dean’s offered hand with a polite nod. As soon as everyone was seated, an ill-humoured waiter appeared out of nowhere and handed them the menu. He then just waited with a grim expression until everyone ordered their food. Obviously, he did not want to waste any time, in the nearly empty restaurant.

“So, listen, I know we kind of started off on the wrong foot. But I do hope we can all be friends here,” Dean announced. There was an awkward silence, then: “So, how are the two of you? How did you meet? I hear you go way back to the time when Benny served in the military.”

Castiel almost chuckled at Dean’s clumsy attempt to atone for his harsh behaviour towards Victor on the first time they met, and he could see Benny’s lips twitch as well. Maybe things weren’t that bad after all, if the quiet alpha could still laugh about Dean. Even Victor breathed out a chuckle.

“Why don’t we postpone the couple talk for another date, Dean, and you just ask what you really want to know.” Victor’s voice was surprisingly friendly, but Castiel could see that Benny tensed up again.

“All right. As you probably know, I am in some kind of dilemma right now, and since the leading detective seems to be unwilling, or unable, to go out and look for any evidence that has nothing to do with me, I thought I might as well ask around a bit myself. And I heard that you and Uriel had at least one conversation last weekend.” Dean managed to sound friendly, but Castiel was sure everyone could hear the _right before he got killed_ at the end of that sentence nonetheless.

Benny and Victor looked at each other for a moment, obviously absorbed in a silent conversation. But while Dean started to drum two fingers on the table after a few seconds, Castiel waited patiently – Benny had convinced his boyfriend to come here after all, so he was quite sure he would talk to them eventually.

Unfortunately, just as Victor opened his mouth, they were interrupted by that grumpy waiter again, who just thrust their drinks on the table and left again without one word. Another round of silence followed, until Castiel said: “Look, Victor, we don’t want to get anyone else into trouble. We only want to get Dean _out_ of it.”

Victor let out a long breath before he answered: “I’ll have to talk to the police anyway, so I might just as well tell you. It’s not like anyone told me to keep it a secret. And with your ties to the police,” Victor briefly glanced at his own partner, “you probably will find out anyway.” He looked at Castiel, then at Dean. “You know about the stolen painting, right? And the money that had been taken from your murder victim?” Both men nodded, even though it was obviously a rhetorical question since the detectives had visited Victor in relation to the theft only a few days ago. “This was the second major robbery my company was involved in in just a couple of months. The first time, despite the police being focused on one of my employees, Dorothy Baum, I hoped it was just a coincidence. Definitely not the best recommendation for SecCo, but still an outsider’s job. But since last Thursday, after another, very similar, robbery, things look different. So, like most of the police, I guess, I needed to consider that someone in my team is the culprit. But I had no idea who it might be. And then on Saturday, I got a call from Uriel Garrison.” When Victor paused, Dean took in a loud breath in excitement and Castiel leaned forward. Finally, Victor was getting to the interesting part. “He told me, in an unbearably smug demeanour, that he found out who stole his money and the painting.” Victor looked at Benny, who nodded. “He even threatened to sue me and bring down my whole company if I had anything to do with it.”

Victor paused long enough for Dean to ask impatiently: “So? Who is it?”

“I don’t know.” The alpha held his hands up like he wanted to show physically that he wasn’t hiding anything. “He wouldn’t tell me. But we arranged a meeting on Sunday. When he did not show up, I called the hotel, and they only said he was _indisposed_ at the moment. I heard about the murder in the news a few hours later.”

There was a long silence at the table. The waiter brought the food, and everyone hesitantly started to eat. Castiel hardly noticed what he was chewing on, he was so lost in his own thoughts, and the three alphas seemed equally absorbed in their own minds.

While he thought about what Victor’s words could mean for Dean’s case, Castiel suddenly got angry. However, he tried to hide the accusation in his voice when he asked: “But that… why didn’t you tell the police right away? That information might change everything. Dean is no longer the only person with an obvious motive.”

“Well, maybe he didn’t want to switch places with me, Cas,” Dean replied in an icy tone.

Castiel looked at Victor, who only glared at Dean in response. Benny appeared to be almost as irritated as his partner, but also a bit undecided, like he was not sure whose side he should take. Before the situation could escalate, the omega clarified, for all three alphas: “I didn’t mean _you_ were the better suspect, Victor. But Uriel might have contacted the thief as well and he – or she – thought it would be easiest to just get rid of the problem altogether. By killing Uriel. That makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?”

“You really have no idea who it might be?” Dean asked, still glaring, but at least the alphas no longer looked directly into each other’s eyes.

“Oh, I have a couple of ideas.” Victor shrugged his shoulders, which made him look quite helpless for a moment. “For starters, everyone who was involved in the two cases. I walk around my own headquarters and hardly trust anyone anymore.”

“I bet it was Gordon Walker,” Dean growled out.

Victor nodded. “After what you told me last weekend, he would have been my number one suspect as well. But he was not involved in the first robbery. In fact, he had not even been in town at the time.”

“Still. He works for you. Maybe you can watch him, and if something doesn’t add up…?”

“I can see how that could help, but unfortunately I already let him go. In other words: He doesn’t work for SecCo anymore. Maybe I should have slept on it, but I was not in the best mood last Saturday. And after you left, I talked to another employee about Gordon, Daegon Ahn. I think you met her briefly. And she seemed not too fond of Gordon either. I had never heard that she didn’t get along with someone before – she hardly ever lets any emotions interfere with her work. Always the professional.”

There was another pause, everyone staring at their empty plates.

Benny said in a gentle tone: “Tell them what you planned to do now, Vic.”

“I have picked two of the employees I trust most, and who seem very well equipped to the task, and asked them to… well, to basically spy on their co-workers. Bela Talbot and Kevin Tran. They will check for any discrepancies in the past.”

Castiel felt a sudden wave of irritation, and it took him a moment to realise why one of those names sounded familiar. Then he remembered the pretty beta smiling at Dean like a pleased cat. He also remembered how she sent them up to deliberately interrupt a private moment between Victor and Benny. Well, it could have been a coincidence, but Castiel didn’t think so.

“Why them?” He asked in a gruff voice, that probably made him sound more hostile than he had intended. Dean looked at him in surprise, obviously not remembering the woman’s name, or maybe just not remembering the woman.

“Like I said, I trust them. Bela has worked for me for a long time. She also has a talent to find out everything about everyone. And Kevin… he is not only a genius, but he is also such a good guy that I just can’t imagine he would ever be involved in anything illegal.”

“Impressions can be deceptive,” Dean said and Castiel added: “You know that your lovely receptionist practically made us burst in on the two of you?”

To Castiel’s surprise, Victor only exchanged an almost loving glance with Benny. Dean mumbled “Oh, that Bela”, but his omega ignored him.

Benny explained in a gentle tone: “That might have been my fault. Bela thinks very highly of Victor and was angry with me for keeping him a secret for months. She obviously thought we needed a little nudge.”

Both Dean and Castiel looked at Benny in disbelief. How could he sound so offhanded? It was not fair to force anyone into outing themselves, not matter how good the intention might have been.

Dean wanted to say something, but Benny interrupted: “And I admit I needed a little nudge.” He took Victor’s hand in his and smiled. “Victor said he didn’t kill Uriel, and I believe him.” There was a gentle glint in Henriksen’s eyes that wavered as Benny added: “It wouldn’t make sense for him to kill Uriel. Victor would be just as interested in catching the thief and clearing SecCo’s name. Uriel’s death just made his situation even more complicated. Except if he was the robber himself and I think we can all agree that idea makes even less sense.”

Castiel could see that Victor might have been happier with a declaration of trust that grounded more in unconditional love than logic, but he could also see that the alpha was not truly hurt. After all, Benny was still convinced he was innocent – and they had not been in a relationship for that long. Maybe blind trust was a bit too much to ask after only a couple of months, and Victor seemed to understand.

“I agree,” Dean said, surprising everyone. Castiel had feared the alpha would try to present Victor to the police as a better suspect. “If I were you, I would want to find out who tries to play dirty and get them behind bars. Before your company’s name gets sullied even more with another incident. So, how about we just try to work on this together? If we find something out, we’ll tell you, and vice versa.”

Slowly, Victor nodded. The two alphas even shook hands over their agreement, while Benny and Castiel were both trying to supress a smile. That went a whole lot better than expected.

Before they parted, Dean wondered: “One more thing. You said you didn’t tell the police yet. But surely they must have asked you in for interrogation. With the two phone calls right before and after the death, and all that.”

“Yes, they did. This morning. I have an appointment with Detective Rogers in about two hours.”

Castiel and Dean looked at each other. As far as they knew, there were very few people Uriel had contact with on his day of death – and the police waited half a week before they called Victor?

Dean mumbled under his breath: “I guess Crowley will be very happy to know how diligent Rogers is working on other leads.”

 

>><< 

 

Castiel spent the afternoon alone in their apartment, because Dean was meeting up with Crowley again. Like he had intended the previous night, he wrote down everything they knew so far and made a time table, using even different colours. Sam would appreciate it as much as Dean would tease him about it. There were some open spots he hoped he would be able to fill this evening. For example, there was still that question where Uriel went on Saturday afternoon. Or why he had called the local hospital.

When Dean returned, he was in a noticeably good mood. Ever since Victor told them about the phone call, the alpha seemed more light-hearted than before. All of a sudden, they had a promising lead they could work on. Victor had just delivered them a probable suspect – even though they did not know who that suspect was. Even Crowley had obviously been enthusiastic about the new developments, or rather the fact that Rogers had completely overlooked any hints that didn’t point at Dean.

Sam and Charlie knocked at around seven and brought some pizza. Castiel was glad that he did not have to play host with them. Dean was usually laid back when visitors came, but Castiel somehow always thought he should prepare food and homemade sweets – not completely able to ignore the old cliché that omegas should care for guests.

Dean took the pizza boxes out of Sam’s hands while their guests were still at the door, and Castiel asked urgently: “So? Do you have any news?”

Dean rolled his eyes: “Jesus, Cas, let them get in first. Let’s eat in peace before we start questioning them.”

Castiel felt embarrassed for his impatience and lack of manners, but Charlie only laughed, and Sam was too busy hugging his brother to take notice.

Dean clapped on Sam’s shoulder after a while and ended their hug with an almost embarrassed chuckle. “Come on, Sammy. Can’t stand here all night. Pizza’s getting cold.”

Castiel and Sam shared a telling look while Charlie mumbled, too low for Dean to hear: “Alphas. Why can’t they just enjoy an emotional moment.”

But everyone in the group knew what kind of feelings Dean tried to convey every time he called his brother _Sammy_.

The alpha got his wish and they only talked about random topics while they ate together. Castiel felt reminded of a couple of nights before when Gabriel had made them eat without worrying or discussing Dean’s fate. Maybe the two alphas had a point, because Castiel was not sure if he would have been able to swallow anything down otherwise.

Once everyone was full, Charlie hesitantly announced: “Okay, I start, but be warned, I don’t have much.” She waited for the three men to look at her before she explained: “I couldn’t find anything suspicious about someone entering or leaving the hotel. But like I said before, that was not to be expected, with the security cameras not working and amateur stuff like that. Anyone could have gotten in through the back. Sorry, no news on that front. I found traffic footage of Dean cruising around, however. So his story seems to add up, the timelines certainly do. Not that that will be of much help to you, I fear.” She leaned forward and whispered like she was afraid someone might overhear them: “Rogers has that footage as well. He made a map of your whereabouts that night and sent people out to look for any places you could have gotten rid of the murder weapon. You know how you drove over the Addaria bridge?” Dean shook his head, but Charlie simply went on: “He even asked for divers, because he is certain you just threw it out of the car and into the river. Would’ve been smart. They think it’s the cane, by the way. But I guess you already knew that.”

“Yeah, I got that impression when Rogers kept asking about it on our first friendly session of bad cop/ bad cop. And Cas confirmed it.”

Both Charlie and Sam looked at Castiel in query, who told them about what he had found out from Balthazar and his conversation with Roman. Dean then explained about their meeting with Henriksen just this afternoon.

When they were done, Sam let out a whistle: “That sure seems interesting. Even more so because I found out where Uriel went on Saturday after he left the hotel for a couple of hours.”

Everyone looked at the tall omega in obvious interest.

“You remember the phone call to the hospital? Eileen and I drove by to find out whom Uriel tried to talk to. And just like I suspected: It was Mr Ishim, the owner of the painting Uriel had wanted to buy. I couldn’t believe it, but Eileen actually made them look it up after a sad story of how she asked someone to call her uncle for her. Since, you know, she can’t.” Sam smiled softly. It wasn’t often that Eileen played the _poor deaf alpha_ card, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t surprisingly good at it. “They found an entry at the reception about a Uriel Garrison visiting later that day. One nurse at Ishim’s station even told us that a man who matches Uriel’s description had a loud quarrel with the patient. He was not there for very long, but he obviously left during a fight. The nurse doesn’t know what it was about, he only could understand the words _I hit him_ , before Uriel stormed out. But he doesn’t know who said it, Uriel, Ishim, or even another possible visitor. As it turns out, Ishim was quite popular during the two days he spent in the hospital, had a lot of visitors. Anyway, the nurse didn’t see anyone else, just Uriel storming down the halls after some yelling. He said he smelled… frightening, furious. Ishim was released only a few hours later.”

Everyone looked at each other. This seemed like it could be very important, or completely random. Dean finally asked: “Who hit whom? Did they have a fight? Ishim and Garrison?”

“No, the nurse does not believe that they physically attacked each other. He only mentioned the yelling.”

“Huh,” Dean finally said in the long silence following. “So how about we ask this Ishim what they have been talking about?”

Sam squirmed. “It’s not that easy, Dean. We have no reason to interrogate him. And by _reason_ I mean no _permission_.”

Dean glowered, then smiled: “But Benny has. Benny works on the theft, remember? So he can just as well ask about this conversation with Uriel – two victims of the same crime meeting in a hospital. Nothing to do with anyone’s death.”

Charlie readily agreed. “Yeah, that might work. I mean, I can’t believe Jody lets me and Benny still handle the thefts. She must know that it’s at the very least a possibility that those two incidents are related with Uriel’s death. After your talk with Victor, it seems even more likely than before.”

“But you two have been on it for months now. It would be stupid to call you back,” Dean argued.

Sam looked like a bit absent-minded, like he had an idea. But he then only asked: “So, what should we do next?”

 

>><< 

 

The next week passed slowly, and yet, at the same time, Castiel felt like the days flew away too quickly. They were still searching for clues, trying to find a thief and a killer, but after a while the omega had to fight with his growing frustration. Some tasks took a lot of time and still led nowhere. Like watching hours and hours of surveillance footage. Even though they shared the work between quite a number of people – Castiel and Dean, Sam, Eileen, Benny and Charlie – they did not seem to get anywhere. And sometimes they communicated not as well as they should have. For example that time, when first Sam and Eileen, then Benny, and even Castiel himself tried to find any camera that might have caught a picture of whoever had used that secluded telephone box to call Uriel just before Dean had arrived at the hotel. But it was probably best to have something triple-checked than to forget about it altogether. But still, no one had managed to find out who the secret caller was.

Neither Charlie nor Balthazar found any evidence of another visitor to Uriel’s hotel room that night, and Victor and Benny were no closer to catching the thief. After a while, Castiel even started to doubt if the two cases – the stolen jewellery and the painting – were connected. And Uriel might have been killed by a complete stranger. Maybe Eileen was right, and someone had followed Uriel from Arlington to Peaceful Haven without being noticed by anyone. False name in a cheep hotel, avoiding cameras, far away from home with no witnesses – Dean claimed it’s how he might do it. Castiel wished the alpha would just stop talking about murdering people. What if Rogers overheard them one day while Dean was plotting imaginary crimes?

They all had their favourite theories. Benny and Victor seemed convinced if they only found the thief, they would also find the killer. Sam and Castiel were focused on Dick Roman and the idea that Uriel’s death might have had at least partly to do with getting revenge against Dean, and by extension also Castiel. Dean still thought it would have been more probable to just kill him then instead of blaming him for another person’s death, and no one could really argue that logic.

The only person who seemed completely disinterested in who might be the killer was Fergus Crowley – his only focus was on his job: keeping Dean out of prison. Sometimes Castiel suspected the attorney believed Dean _was_ the killer – he definitely did not like Crowley’s statements about how it was unimportant for his work if someone was guilty or not. He even called Castiel naïve a couple of times.

Benny had tried to talk to Mr Ishim about Uriel’s visit on the day of his death, but the art collector had insisted Uriel had only wanted to make sure he was okay; after all, they had both been robbed –Uriel had just been lucky enough to stay unharmed. Even when Benny mentioned that hospital staff had heard them arguing, Ishim insisted that they must have been mistaken. Benny explained to Castiel and Dean that the man was obviously hiding something, but he had not yet managed to get him to admit the truth.

Castiel’s mood darkened with every passing day, and it didn’t help when Eileen told them that, as far as she could tell, Dick Roman had not been lying about his whereabouts on the night of Uriel’s death. He had attended some business affair where rich and shady alphas celebrated themselves and their wealth, with expensive wine, decadent food and the company of pretty omegas, who might or might not have been paid for their presence. Two young men claimed they had been in Dick Roman’s company for the whole night. Dean thought that they might have just as easily been paid off to say so, but Eileen – who had been the only one to talk to them in person – seemed to believe the omegas. Obviously, they had been hesitant to talk about their time with Richard Roman in the first place, and she seemed to think their reluctance wasn’t an act.

Both Dean and Castiel were called into the precinct a couple of times for further questioning, and after every meeting with Victor Rogers, Castiel felt like he had lost all optimism. Whenever he and Dean were out looking for clues, it was easy to think they would clear the alpha’s name and catch the killer, but as soon as Castiel found himself in a small room with Detective Rogers, hope suddenly abandoned him. Rogers still seemed to be convinced Dean was the murderer; the only question was whether he had done it in an act of jealousy – Castiel being an attention seeking, double-minded omega in that scenario – or in an attempt to keep his omega safe. Obviously Rogers had found out about Uriel’s claim that he had orchestrated Castiel’s sacking from the police force years ago. But as far as Castiel could tell, there was no real evidence if Uriel had told the truth or if he had just tried to provoke Dean further. He himself did not really care – at least not while he had to focus his attention on more important issues.

Rogers appealed to Castiel to actively support the protective-alpha-version, because then Dean might not spend the rest of his life in prison but could get out in 20-30 years. Of course, Castiel did not try to make any deals for Dean, but he still felt devastated every time he left the precinct. Despite all the other possibilities, Rogers seemed convinced that Dean was the killer. It didn’t even matter if the detective was right, or if he was deliberately mean or just lazy – Castiel feared that there was still enough circumstantial evidence to persuade any jury of Dean’s liability.

Castiel caught himself various times while he was thinking about a life where he had to visit his mate in a cell. He almost desperately looked forward to his next heat and hoped it would come unusually early, because if Rogers managed to take Dean away from him, Castiel at least wanted to wear the alpha’s mark. He knew he was not being his rational self in that regard, but he didn’t really care. Of course, he never talked about it with Dean anymore, because he knew that the alpha did not want him to be claimed if there was no hope for them to be together in the future. Castiel thought it was more likely that Dean would try to persuade him to start a new life if he ever got convicted. But Castiel did not want to think about that possible argument just yet.

Other times, Castiel started to fret how life would be for Dean in prison. He had worked as a detective for over a decade after all – life in prison could not be fun for a former police officer. Dean might even share a cell with some offender he had put there himself.

But mostly, those dark thoughts only ghosted around his mind while Castiel was alone. When the group met, everyone seemed hopeful and cheered each other up. The fact that Dean had not been re-arrested for a while was considered a good sign. And Crowley made Rogers follow other leads, even though the detective didn’t seem too excited at the prospect of looking any other place than Dean.

Dean himself was often overly cheerful – so much so that Castiel started to worry. He feared the alpha was trying to pack the rest of his life in every single day. When Castiel wanted to go through Uriel’s schedule again, Dean would often just pull him towards the bedroom. When they met with Benny to talk about new developments about the robberies, Dean suggested they should rather play a round of pool. It was even worse when Castiel suggested he would try to talk to Mr Ishim himself, or when he had proposed to call some of Uriel’s old contacts. It was obvious that Dean still tried to keep Castiel out of possible trouble with Jody, and that behaviour had resulted in a few smaller arguments between the two men. Arguments that also always seemed to end with Dean pulling Castiel towards the bedroom.

Still, Castiel had come to an agreement with Dean and called some of Uriel’s old friends. He just hoped the alpha had not completely changed his social circle in the last couple of years. Jody, or anyone else, could hardly forbid him to talk to friends and family of his passed away ex-boyfriend. He was just being polite and wanted to offer his condolences after all. And if he found out about some big disagreement that could be a murder motive, that was just accidental.

But they had no such luck.

Like Castiel had suspected before, he found out that Uriel’s parents had died and left the alpha the bigger part of their fortune. His sister, being a beta and a woman, inherited only a small amount. When Castiel talked to her, remembering her as a snarky woman with a good sense of humour and the only one in the Garrison family that had treated Castiel like a human being, she did not seem too heartbroken about her brother’s demise and even hinted that she would now at least get what was rightfully hers.

“And to be beaten to death with granddad’s old cane? That is just poetic. Anyways, Castiel, it was nice talking to you again. Tell you alpha thanks from me.”

Castiel and Dean, who had insisted to listen in on the conversation, looked at each other in astonishment. Castiel was suddenly grateful that both their families would actually mourn their deaths instead of looking for their heritage. Not that they had much to pass on. Certainly not enough to buy a 1.5-million-dollar painting.

In the end, the conversation with Uriel’s sister turned out to be the best they had. Anyone else Castiel reached out to would either not talk to him at all, or yell at him for somehow being responsible for Uriel’s death or simply for not knowing his place as an omega. Of course, Uriel’s friends all had the same mindsets as the deceased alpha, and Castiel thought, not for the first time, that if he had allowed Uriel to claim him, they would probably live in a place just like Little Heaven fright now. He shuddered at the idea. Living in a major city, where omegas might still get harassed more often than any other gender but could live independent lives, he sometimes forgot how backwards some people still were. A few times Castiel hung up the phone on people scolding him – seeing the look on Dean’s face who seemed ready to drive all the seven hours to Arlington just to punch whomever in the face. And that would really not help their cause.

What they found out in Castiel’s attempts to talk to Uriel’s friends was that most of them had been contacted by Rogers already – and everyone seemed convinced that Uriel Garrison had been killed by the mate of one Castiel Novak. That stupid omega who had shamed their friend so much in the past – though Castiel was sure Uriel had not told the whole truth about their break-up. He did not believe the proud alpha ever admitted to his friends that a puny little omega had left him.

When he hung up on the last person on the list, Castiel rested his head against Dean’s shoulder, feeling burned out. He had spent almost all day talking to unpleasant people with no result whatsoever. Dean stroked a hand over his scalp that might have felt more soothing if the alpha had not been so tense himself.

But still, as Castiel turned his head to breath in Dean’s scent, he was just happy that they were together.

 

>><< 

 

By Monday night, Castiel was caught in a spiral of hope and disappointment and happiness and fear – depending on the time of day it was or the company around him. Tomorrow, he would get back to work, and for the first time in his life, he played with the idea of calling in sick without reason. To his surprise, his suspension had turned out to be a good thing, because he could spend the whole of last week working on Uriel’s case – and resting in Dean’s arms.

Unsurprisingly, it had been the alpha who convinced Castiel to go back to work, if only to get his mind off things for a couple of hours. And after a week of luckless investigation, they had to consider that it might take a lot more time to solve the case than they had initially believed. And Castiel could hardly stay at home for weeks on end.

Castiel and Dean just drove home from groceries shopping, when they talked to Charlie over speaker. The beta had just admitted she had made no progress yet, in a suspiciously excited voice. Then she announced that she would meet up with Kevin Tran, the tech genius of SecCo, the next day. She ended the call with a cheery “Peace out, bitches”. Considering she had just spent the last weekend staring at her monitors without any progress, Castiel was surprised how excited she seemed at the idea of visiting the headquarters of SecCo – until Dean reminded him that she probably hoped she would see Dorothy Baum again.

Both men laughed as they excited the car, grateful for any moderately good news. Dean picked up their groceries from the trunk while Castiel got the mail. It was not much, but on their way up, he looked through the envelopes, mostly bills and the usual insurance updates.

But one letter caught his eye: It was addressed to _Castiel Novak_ but showed no return address. Castiel frowned. Just as they were inside, he ripped it open, and flowers fell on the kitchen table.

This time, the plants were dried and pressed, the smell not as strong as freshly cut flowers, but still, there was thyme and lemongrass, a dried carnation and a few rose petals.

Behind him, Dean immediately let out an angry snarl. The alpha picked up the enclosed card before Castiel had even noticed it. It was one of those musical greeting cards, because as soon as Dean had opened it, the voice of Fred Astaire crooned:

 

_Heaven, I'm in heaven,_

_And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak_

_And I seem to find the happiness I seek_

_When we're out together dancing, cheek to cheek_

 

Both men looked at each other in a mix of fury, horror and disbelief.

At least now they knew who was sending those inappropriate gifts to Castiel.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know about you, but I always thought that cards should not make sounds. It’s scary. And stupid. Cards are for writing.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit, I thought you’d all know who sent the flowers at the end of the last chapter. But I liked how some of you went “of course!” and others were more like: “huh?”.  
> (Btw, that character also sang that song in an spn-episode. ;-)

**NINE**

 

_Heaven, I'm in heaven,_

_And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak_

_And I seem to find the happiness I seek_

_When we're out together dancing, cheek to cheek_

 

Both men looked at each other in a mix of fury, horror and disbelief.

At least now they knew who was sending those inappropriate gifts to Castiel.

Castiel closed his eyes to sort his mind and, involuntarily, got lost in memories for a moment. Dizzy, on a bed while something cold scratched over his bare chest. And Alastair, slurring the very song that was played right now into his ear.

He shuddered, until he felt a hand on his shoulders. The song stopped, and Castiel was pulled towards the crook of Dean’s neck where he could drink in the calming scent that had nothing to do with rotten eggs.

They stood like this for a while, Castiel leaning against his alpha while Dean tried to keep his growling to a minimum.

“So… Alastair, hm?”

Castiel nodded against Dean’s shoulder.

“I guess, he’s allowed to send mail from his asylum.”

Castiel nodded again.

“Bu you know he is not allowed to leave. At least not without company, and only on weekends.”

Castiel finally pulled back, and himself together. “You’re right. He’s just trying to upset us. I guess it’s better those flowers came from Alastair and not someone who might show up at our doorstep any moment.”

“Exactly. There is nothing we have to worry about.” Dean tried to sound reassuring, but Castiel still noticed how he clenched his jaw into a tight line. A sure sign that Dean was not as calm as he would have liked to appear, even if he managed to get his scent under control. “We should still call Jody, though. See if she can confirm anything, file a report.” Dean’s voice turned low, like he was talking more to himself than Castiel. “The old flowers came from a local shop. How did he get them? Florist said that he couldn’t remember, but we probably should ask them again. Just to make sure Alastair has been in his looney bin the whole time.”

Castiel agreed, and an hour later, Captain Jody Mills and Donna Hanscum were in their apartment. Castiel wondered if those women would ever again visit them on a happy occasion. The omega was sure everyone remembered the last time they had been in this room – and at least part of the tension in the air had nothing to do with Alastair’s gift.

Jody looked at the flowers with a frown while Donna opened the card that started to play its music. Castiel shuddered again and felt Dean’s hand on his arm. He took it in his own, not caring how odd they must look – two grown men, holding hands in their kitchen.

“You sure this is from Alastair Seal?” Jody asked with a frown. She didn’t seem to doubt their word, just lost in her own thoughts.

“Well, it would fit, wouldn’t it? The song? And the creepy flowers themselves – that seems like something that creep would do, right?” Surprisingly, it had been Donna who answered.

“All right. We’ll have to look into it. I’ll take the card with me, and the flowers. What about the last package? You still have it?”

“The box and the card, yes, but we dumped the flowers immediately.”

Castiel went to get the package while Dean growled out: “What do you mean, you’ll _look into it_? I hope you’ll make that asshat stop sending Cas creepy presents. Preferably by putting him behind bars. There is enough on our plates as it is.”

“I’m aware of that, Dean.”

“You should arrest him!” Dean almost roared, and Jody’s temper seemed to rise at the same time.

“For what? Sending a gift card? That’s not exactly illegal.”

Dean and Jody stared at each other, and Castiel had never seen so much hostility between those two. For all of Dean’s talk that Jody could not have done anything else than arrest him, he seemed pretty mad right now. His mood probably had nothing to do with the Captain herself, but he was certainly giving her an alpha stare – in a way you should never look at your superior, unless you wanted to get fired. Well, technically, Dean was not working for Jody at the moment, so maybe he saw no reason to be cautious.

The Captain closed her eyes for a second and then reached a hand out to touch Dean’s arm. Her anger seemed gone, but there was something close to shame on her face.

“I’m sorry you have to deal with that on top of everything else, Dean. I will check into the asylum about Alastair, and I will call FlowerWords again. And tomorrow, Castiel can sign a restraining order that will prohibit Alastair to get in touch with him in any way. With your past, it won’t be a problem to get that through.”

Dean only nodded, and Jody turned around with both cards and dried flowers in her hands. Castiel followed the two women to the door. He said his goodbyes, deliberating friendly to make up for Dean’s curtness.

When the women walked down the corridor, he could hear Donna mumble to Jody: “You didn’t do anything wrong. And you have to give him a break, Jo. He’s not mad at you, he’s probably just worried for his omega…”

Castiel closed the door and leaned his head against it for a moment. He didn’t know how long he stood there, but after some time, he felt a hand on his waist, turning him around.

“Cas? You all right? This will be fine. You heard Jody. You’ll sign some papers, and he won’t be allowed to reach out to you again.”

“I know,” Castiel said, even though his stomach had not yet settled, and his scent probably still broadcasted his inner turmoil. Then he thought about what Donna had said. “But seriously, when all of this is over, things might get tense with Jody. I think both of us have been a bit abrasive with her.”

“Yeah. I should probably apologise to her tomorrow.”

“We both should.”

Dean pulled Castiel with him to the bedroom and down onto his lap where he pecked him on the lips.

“But not right now.”

“Dean, maybe we should talk about…”

But Dean was already nibbling a way down Castiel’s throat and, eventually, the omega’s words turned into a soft moan.

 

>><< 

 

Jody came by early the next morning. She had called in advance to make sure Castiel would still be at home as he was supposed to go back to work that day, because she thought her news would interest Dean as well as him. It was considerate of her, which meant both Dean and Castiel felt even more embarrassed than before.

As soon as Jody, this time without Donna, stepped into their apartment, the couple apologised for having been so rash with her recently. Jody just waved it off – but Castiel could see something glinting in her eyes, and she blinked a few times hurriedly, so he was pretty sure their apology had meant more to her than she wanted to let on. And for the first time the last two weeks, Castiel truly believed that Dean being a major crime suspect must have been as hard for her as it was to the rest of them. She had probably even feared that they would hate her for it. But despite all his understanding, Castiel had to admit that there was a part of him – a dark, irrational, wrong part – that still held it against her that she had not joined the rescue-Dean-waggon, no matter how this could turn into an absolute disaster for all of them if someone found out she fed them information.

The three of them were seated at the kitchen table again, and Jody had accepted a cup of coffee like the peace offering Dean had meant it to be.

“So… I found out a couple of things. You were probably right that the letter was sent from Alastair. The post stamp matches the city where he is currently held. I talked to the hospital, and they told me a few interesting facts. For example, Alastair works there as a gardener which might explain his obsession with the flowers. And he… ah… he seems to be compliant and is well liked with staff and other patients. But that also means he gets more leeway than you’d probably like.”

“So the letter yesterday was from him? What about the first flowers?” Dean asked, not able to keep the growl out of his voice.

“One moment. The whole time Alastair had been in the mental institution, he had only had one visitor.” Jody paused, which told Castiel the next bit would be important. “Lucifer Cage.”

“What?” Castiel asked and Dean barked: “That douchebag? Why would he visit Al?”

Castiel turned to him: “Well, Lucifer and Lilith have always been pretty friendly. Maybe she made him promise to look after her mate? I mean, their friendship would not have broken apart over that little murder detail.”

“But do you seriously believe Lilith cared about Alastair so much she would worry over him? I mean, the other way around, yes, but Lilith probably only saw him like an amusing dog, while he looked up to her.”

Castiel opened his mouth to answer when Jody cleared her throat. Both men looked at her again.

“There is more. I talked to the florist who took in the order for your first gift in FlowerWords. He seemed to remember the client with the strange order quite well.” Dean raised an eyebrow – when he and Castiel had asked, the man had said he had no idea. “The customer had been charming and convinced the florist that he wanted to send the flowers to the love of his life who was in an unhappy relationship with a possessive alpha. And when you two came in, he seemed to think the man was right.” Jody looked at Dean, and Castiel remembered how pent-up Dean had been when they talked to the florist. Of course, Dean had been angry because someone had – probably, possibly – threatened Castiel, but the omega thought it was easy to mistake that for jealousy towards an unknown rival.

“Wait… but how could Alastair have bought the flowers?” Dean asked, but Castiel was pretty sure he knew the answer already. _Charming_ was not a word anyone could ever use on that omega.

“It wasn’t Alastair. It was Mr Cage.” Jody held up a hand when Dean wanted to say something else. “Obviously, he did more than just visit Alastair. He even picked him up and left the building with him on Saturday a week ago. They had headed out to dinner, according to the note at the reception.”

There was silence, then Dean and Castiel looked at each other. The omega could see his excitement – and hope – mirrored in his partner’s eyes. He asked hesitantly: “But that… that was when Uriel died, right?”

Jody looked at them with a sad smile. “I know what you’re thinking. That Alastair tried to get revenge by accusing Dean of murder to get him into prison. You have to realise that scenario seems pretty far-fetched. He would have had to plan this in a mental institution, hundreds of miles away. How would he have known when to strike? But that’s not the only reason that idea is unlikely.” She looked at them directly. “Alastair had only been gone for a couple of hours. There’s no way they could have driven here and back again in that time slot. It’s even an alibi for Lucifer as well, because it would have been hard to bring Alastair back to the asylum and drive to Greenville for the time Uriel was killed. Not completely impossible, but unlikely.”

“And what reason would Lucifer even have to get revenge on us anyway?” Castiel mused.

Jody raised an eyebrow. “He can’t be too happy with the two of you. It was in relation to your work that he was found in bed with two underage omega prostitutes. Have you forgotten about all the news articles? CagedPain has still not fully recovered from the collapse of their stock prices.”

Right, Castiel had forgotten about that. But even if Lucifer wanted to get revenge on them – like Jody had said, it was unlikely he had anything to do with Uriel’s death. It was far more probable that he had only helped Alastair to scare them a bit. Or maybe just to disturb their relationship by making Dean jealous.

“But even though I don’t think they have anything to do with Mr Garrison’s death, I will still be on my way to the hospital and talk to the staff again. I also plan to pay Lucifer Cage a visit.” She took a folder out of her purse. “I have some papers to sign for you, Castiel. And you, too, Dean. Just in case. With that, both men will be prohibited to contact you. I can hardly do anything else, but the next time they send you creepy presents, they will be committing a crime.”

Castiel flew over the pages and signed the restraining order that obviously had already been rubber-stamped by a judge. The Captain had been busy since last night. He then frowned, suddenly realising what Jody had not mentioned. “And Alastair? Will you reach out to him as well?”

“Ahem… I won’t be able to. I already tried to talk to him on the phone, but he made it clear that the only police he would be talking to would be one of you two. And since Dean is not allowed one step out of Greenville, that would leave only you, Castiel.”

Castiel’s stomach churned but he said nonetheless: “Then maybe I should come with you.”

“No!” Dean suddenly roared. He jumped up from his chair abruptly and the piece of wood fell to the floor behind him. Dean did not seem to notice as he glanced from Castiel to Jody. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and Castiel could feel how hard he tried to keep his alpha out of his voice as he said: “Absolutely not.”

Castiel was surprised at Dean’s vehement reaction, and at the strong alpha scent in the room. Even Jody, a beta, scrunched her nose. Castiel stood up as well and laid a hand on Dean’s biceps.

Castiel thought about his words, realising that Dean was not to be convinced easily. His jaw was set, his whole body tense. “Dean, I would be with Jody and…”

“I agree with Dean, Castiel,” Jody said before Castiel could get very far. He looked at her in surprise. “I don’t think it would help. On the contrary. If you show up at his place and talk to him, it might just fuel his … obsession?”

Castiel looked at Dean and almost expected him to smirk down on him in victory, or to shoot him an I-told-you-so-look. But Dean was as tense as before and had not moved a muscle. Castiel worried.

Jody looked from Castiel to Dean and back again. Then she said abruptly: “Castiel, you don’t look too good. You think you’re getting a fever?”

Castiel blinked. Then he sat down on a chair in an exaggerated show of weakness.

“Yes, I fear I’m not feeling too well.”

“Then maybe you should stay at home for a few more days.”

With that, she let herself out, leaving Dean and Castiel alone.

Dean shook his head like he was trying to sort his mind and looked down at Castiel who was still theatrically slumped in a chair. “You’re not feeling well? Should I take you to a doctor? Or make some tea?”

“No, Dean, Jody had just given me a reason to stay home. Probably to look after you. You seem in a murderous mood.”

Dean grunted, but did not move, still standing there like a soldier, preparing for an attack.

“Dean, sit. Talk.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Dean at least reacted to the first request and sat down next to Castiel.

“Tell me what’s on your mind.”

Dean didn’t say anything, so Castiel admitted: “I’m scared, Dean.” He could see the alpha curl his hands into fists so tight the knuckles turned white and he feared he had said the wrong thing. But still, it was time they talked openly about the future. Dean had seemed distraught and uncharacteristically inactive for a while now, constantly deflecting from any serious conversation. It worried Castiel. He specified: “I’m not scared of Alastair, or Lucifer. I’m scared that Rogers will walk in here any moment and take you away from me. And there is nothing I can do about it. I’m scared you will end up in prison, even though you have done nothing wrong.”

“And I won’t be able to protect you, Cas.” The words seemed to be ripped out of Dean. “There is a lunatic obsessed with you, and I can’t do anything about it. I can’t arrest anyone, because I have no badge; I couldn’t accompany you to talk with him, because I am not allowed out of town. And when they arrest me again…” Dean took a deep breath.

“ _If_ they arrest you, Dean…”

“… there is nothing I can do to protect you in prison.”

Castiel resisted the urge to tell his alpha that he didn’t need protection. It wouldn’t help. “Dean, you should stop worrying over me. Even if – if! – you will be arrested, I won’t be alone. You know my cranky alpha brother, right? He’ll probably move in with me again. And there are still Sam and Benny – you think they will turn a cold shoulder on me as soon as you are out of the picture? Because I don’t.” Castiel felt a warm feeling in his stomach, realising that Dean’s friends had become just as much his own at some point, and they would not abandon him if Dean had to leave. “And you said it yourself yesterday: Alastair can’t really do anything. He probably only wants to scare us.” Castiel could feel how reassuring Dean did wonders to his own nerves. “And that talk about you going to jail is all just very hypothetical right now, because Rogers doesn’t seem to make any progress. He’s obviously not found any new evidence, or we would probably know about it by now.”

Dean scoffed. “He doesn’t need to, Cas. He’s got enough on me. He probably only waits long enough so no one can accuse him in court that he has not followed any other leads. But in the end, he will turn back to me. And let’s be honest here. We’ve been working on Uriel’s case a lot more thorough than Rogers, and we haven’t been able to make much progress ourselves. We’re at a dead end.”

“That’s not true, Dean. Charlie and Benny are working right now with the team of SecCo. They probably just need more time to…”

“Maybe they shouldn’t spend more time investigating. Maybe we should all just have a fun night out instead of wasting our time watching even more security footage or financial tablets. I don’t even know why you try so hard anymore. You all should rather go back to your own problems. I don’t want to be the reason that everyone’s life’s on hold. I’m tired of it all.”

The alpha’s voice broke at the last sentence, breaking Castiel’s heart in turn. He pulled Dean towards his chest. He ran his hands through Dean’s hair and waited until the alpha had calmed down. Castiel felt an almost physical pain as he noticed how desolate Dean smelled. The alpha was not someone who gave up easily, but Dean was also a man of action. Castiel could see how exhausting it must be for him to check telephone lists and financial recordings, when he so much rather would like to hunt someone down. He also knew that it wasn’t easy for Dean to accept help. Castiel was certain he would lay down his life for any one of his friends, but he could hardly take it when they suffered for him, even if it was only endless hours of boring watch duties.

Once Dean straightened again and looked down at Castiel, the omega said in a stern voice: “Well, I hate to disappoint you, Dean, but we will all keep trying to clear your name. Even if Rogers should come up with some false evidence, we will still keep trying. We all love you, Dean, and we won’t give up. And honestly, it doesn’t suit you to give up either. I thought you were tougher than that.”   

Dean looked taken aback. He obviously had not expected Castiel to scold him – and neither had Castiel. He softened his tone: “It’s okay to feel dejected once in a while. But don’t give up. I believe in you. And I will keep believing in you, as will the rest of your family and friends. They are all loyal to you, because you have to be the most loyal man I know. Let us do this.”

Dean gave out a grunt that could be interpreted as anything.

Castiel chose to take it as a good sign.

 

>><< 

 

Two days later, Jody and Donna came back with news about Alastair. Even thought it was no news _from_ Alastair. The omega would not talk to her, just like he had announced, and no one could force him to do so. But at least the personnel of the Asylum had promised Jody that they would keep an eye on his attitude towards Castiel. The doctors had referred to their medical confidentiality, but Jody obviously got the impression that a certain obsession to Castiel Novak was no surprise to them. The omega had arrived at the institution with a folder of pictures and news articles about the murder trial – and he had acted out violently when the hospital staff took it away from him. Since then he had calmed down considerably and behaved friendly towards everyone. The doctors seemed to hope he would be mentally stable once he completely left his past, and Lilith, behind. Castiel was not so sure, since he didn’t believe that Alastair’s eagerness in the murders had been all Lilith’s doing.

At least, the staff all promised to make certain Alastair knew about the restraining order and would not try to contact Castiel again.

“That’s probably just for the best for my patient anyway,” a psychiatrist had said.

Jody had also contacted Lucifer Cage, who told her a sad story about how he had promised a good friend, Lilith, to look out after her mate. There was certainly nothing wrong if he took the poor man out to dinner every now and then. And the flowers for Castiel? He just thought they were meant as an apology and believed everyone would feel better for it.

“But had I known they would agitate Castiel, I would of course have never agreed to send them to him,” he had told Jody.

The Captain was not fooled so easily, but there was hardly anything she could do. She believed Lucifer just took the chance to make Dean and Castiel uncomfortable. But he had not done anything illegal. Jody explained to the CEO of CagedPain that he should not try to contact the couple again – and the alpha promised he would never try to force himself on anyone when he knew he wasn’t welcome.

Unfortunately, Jody could not prevent Alastair and Lucifer from meeting _each other_ in the future.

“But honestly, even though this Lucifer Cage is obviously a scumbag, I don’t think he is going to do anything that might hurt him. I believe he will stay away from you two from now on. He could get arrested otherwise, and really, he doesn’t look the type who would risk going to jail.”

Castiel was still frowning in doubt, but he relaxed when Dean massaged a hand over his back.

“Yeah, there he would have a hard time to showcase himself as the top dog. It’s a lot easier in Little Heaven.”

“You think he’s still stalking around like a dog marking his territory?” Donna asked.

“Oh, I know he is. Cain said it got even worse after we and Crowley left, and Lilith got arrested.” Dean’s lips twitched. “But he stays away from Cain’s house. Ever since he got attacked by a swarm of bees.”

Jody and Donna chuckled at the image, while Castiel only frowned. But Dean’s attempt to get his mind away from Al and Lucifer had still worked: “But, Dean, bees are very peaceful…”

“Well, maybe Cain trained them into attacking any alphas sniffing around their honey. Except Cain himself, of course.”

Castiel just scoffed, and Dean kissed his temple.

Jody and Donna seemed to take this as a sign to leave, but at the door, Castiel followed them a few steps outside and finally could not stop himself from asking: “What about Uriel’s murder? Are there any news? Rogers didn’t talk to Dean for three whole days. Are there any other leads he follows?”

The questions escaped him in rapid succession. Castiel had only wanted to make one off-handed remark. The last couple of days, whenever they talked to Jody or Donna, everyone had completely ignored the fact that Dean was still a murder suspect, and their encounters had become very relaxed.

But now, Jody, Donna and Dean tensed up at the same time. Castiel could feel the hand on his shoulder grip a bit too tightly while Donna’s smile wavered and Jody’s face became a stern mask.

“You know I can’t tell you, Castiel.” Jody’s tone was soft, despite her expression. “But I’ll see you back at work tomorrow?”

Castiel nodded, and the front door closed with a soft thud.

Without another word, the two men walked back inside their apartment. Castiel got to the kitchen and took out of the fridge what he needed for dinner. He had promised Dean to make fried chicken with homemade potato chips and sour cream. It was one thing they had agreed on: Dean would not argue with his family and friends about helping him, and Castiel wouldn’t try to get him to eat healthier as long as a prison sentence was still looming over his head.

Castiel shuffled about for a few minutes until he noticed that Dean had been standing in the doorway all the time, watching him.

“You know, it’s not going to go any faster if you just keep staring,” Castiel said without turning around. “But it _might_ be faster if you help me peel all those potatoes.”

Dean chuckled, and then they were working together in silence, standing close, shoulders brushing occasionally.

When they finally sat down at the table, Castiel noticed that Dean was still watching him with a calculating expression.

“What is it, Dean?”

“I don’t like that Alastair can get picked up and leave the looney farm at any time.”

Castiel sighed. “I know, Dean. But there is nothing we can do about it. And I agree with Jody. I don’t see Lucifer driving him to our place…”

“Yeah, but what if we could make _sure_ he didn’t?” Castiel raised an eyebrow at Dean. “I was thinking, Cas, if only we knew someone who lived pretty close to the asylum. Near Kensington. Someone who like… shadowed people for a living. Then maybe we could ask that person to keep an eye on Alastair, at least on the weekends.”

“You mean Meg?” Castiel asked, feeling an uncomfortable flutter in his stomach. Dean had made a way better job in keeping in touch with Cain than Castiel had with Meg.

“Well, she did successfully follow Lucifer before. Maybe it’s worth another shot.”

Hesitantly, Castiel agreed, and after they finished eating, he called the private detective.

“Wow, is it Christmas already? I mean, you never write, you never call…”

At Meg’s greeting, Castiel felt even more nervous than before. She was right. He had not gotten in touch with her for months now, and the last time, ironically, had been at Christmas. And now he broke the silence just because he wanted something from her.

“Hello, Meg. I … ah… I’m sorry I haven’t called you in so long.”

Meg chuckled. “Relax, Clarence. I’m just messing with you. Besides, it goes both ways. I have made myself just as rare. Been busy with a huge case. So, how can I help you?”

Castiel smiled. It felt like no time had passed, and Meg did not seem to begrudge him that he had never visited her like he had so often promised.

“If you aren’t too busy right now, I might need your services. At least on the weekends.”

Castiel explained to her all about the flower presents and how they found out they came from Alastair, with a little help from Lucifer. Meg growled a few times in between, unusual for an omega but it somehow fitted her, and when Castiel was done, she promised she would tail Alastair on the weekends to make sure he would not try to come by Castiel’s place himself.

“But honestly, I’m surprised that your alpha didn’t drive there and put the fear of god into him? Or plans to spend his weekends in his car in front of the hospital.”

After a sigh, Castiel explained everything about their current predicament – the death of his old lover, Dean being a suspect and unable to leave the city, as well as their attempts to clear his name.

“Wow, Clarence, now I feel really bad I didn’t check in on you sooner. You need any help on that front as well? I could come by and…”

“No need. Dean thinks there are already too many people involved. He’s a bit grouchy these days.”

Meg laughed. “Of course he is. Being a murder suspect is no fun in itself, but on top of that, he has to deal with Crowley.” Castiel knew that Meg and her former client had never seemed to like each other much, even though the two of them had been very capable together. So he was surprised when Meg’s tone softened as she asked: “How is that old bastard?”

“He seems to be his snarky self. He can’t be too happy that only Lilith will spend the rest of her life in jail, but I think he sees her as the main offender. Still, it probably stings that Alastair is living a somewhat comfortable life after what he did to Crowley’s son.”

Meg scoffed, then said: “Maybe I should call that old grump as well. Haven’t talked to him in weeks.”

Castiel was surprised. He had not known that Crowley and Meg had stayed in touch after their own undercover mission. A few minutes later – in which Meg told Castiel about that big case she had worked on in all gory detail – the two omegas said their goodbyes and Castiel joined Dean on the couch in the living room.

He cuddled up to the alpha who immediately pulled him into his arms while he turned his baseball game on mute.

Dean breathed a kiss on Castiel’s temple. “Thank you for calling her.”

“It wasn’t a bad idea. I admit I’ll feel better knowing someone is watching Al. But we can’t do this for all eternity, you know. Let’s wait a few weeks, and if nothing happens, we’ll have to call it off.”

“M-hm,” Dean mumbled as his mouth had wandered from Castiel’s temple slowly down to his throat and the alpha started nibbling at his mark. Castiel’s breathing became quicker and his heartrate picked up as he felt Dean’s teeth scratch at his neck. That action would probably never stop turning him on, he thought, as his whole body tingled pleasantly. He felt slick run out of his cleft and Dean’s chest rumbled against his own. What followed was messy and quick. They were still almost completely dressed when Dean tied them together with his knot only minutes later, Castiel lying on his back on the couch, Dean kneeling above him in an awkward angle, that might have been uncomfortable if the alpha had not been so pumped up with hormones right now. He leaned down and renewed his mark on Castiel’s neck at the same time as the omega came to completion.

Castiel sank back into the couch, in a much more comfortable position than Dean, and started purring as Dean licked at his neck, his knot still releasing come inside of him.

Dean straightened up again and looked down on Castiel’s neck – doubtless to congratulate himself for marking his omega so effectively as his. But when Castiel closed his eyes, the alpha said so low he had almost missed it: “You know, when we mate, we should also get married.”

“What?” Castiel was suddenly wide awake again. He stared at Dean who looked like he would rather excuse himself and leave, if his treacherous body was not still tied to Castiel’s. The alpha looked embarrassed, maybe he had not meant to say the words out loud, and Castiel held a hand to his cheek. “Are you proposing to me now, Dean? I mean, you are kind of on your knees.”

Like Castiel had hoped, Dean chuckled. His arms picked Castiel up, until the alpha sat comfortably on their soft couch, Castiel straddling his lap, chests glued together. Castiel let his head rest on the crook of Dean’s neck and waited until the alpha was ready to speak again.

“I just meant… you keep saying that you want to mate.” Castiel pulled back, staring at Dean in doubt, so that the alpha quickly went on: “And I want that too, of course. But I would also like to get married. Afterwards. But soon. I wouldn’t want us to wait indefinitely, like Sammy.”

Castiel felt a warm tingle in his stomach and sank back into the alpha, brushing a kiss over his neck, stroking his arms under his shirt. “I’d want that too, Dean. I just didn’t know it was so important to you. You know, most alphas will be happy to just put an irrevocable claim on an omega by marking them, without all the legal bindings and paperwork.”

“But I want that. I want us to belong together. I want to wear a ring that shows people I’m yours as well as you are mine. I want us to share a name.”

Castiel blinked rapidly, but he couldn’t keep the tears from running down his face. He felt a rough thump following their trail. In any other context, Castiel might have teased Dean about which name they would agree on, but now he only admitted the truth: “I would love to become a Winchester, officially.”

Castiel’s whole body tingled at the thought. _Novak_ was a name he had been given in the orphanage, but _Winchester_ would finally be completely his. Dean lifted his face to kiss the corner of his mouth.

“So, that’s settled then. Right after my next heat, we can set a date for the wedding.”

Dean didn’t reply anything but kissed him again. Castiel was glad. He could see Dean still doubted that they should make any life-changing decisions during Castiel’s next heat, with Rogers still sniffing around them, but the alpha didn’t want to ruin the moment either. While Dean still thought they should wait until it was certain no one would come and arrest him, Castiel hoped his next heat would arrive sooner rather than later.

As they held it each other and cuddled on the couch, both men chose to pretend that by the time Castiel’s next heat hit, their lives would just be back to normal.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is like a Christmas-y ending, right?   
> And for a special-holiday-treat: Next chapter will be up by the /26th. :-D


	10. Chapter 10

**TEN**

 

After Dean had brought up marriage that night, neither man talked about that subject for days. It was not like they had changed their minds, but they did not want to risk any arguments. Rogers had called Dean to the precinct twice since then, and while Alastair’s return into their life – figuratively speaking – had deflected them from worrying too much about the investigation, they were now reminded that the obsessive omega was probably the least of their problems. Maybe Rogers´ quiet behaviour during the last week had only been the calm before the storm.

But still, Castiel thought their little talk on the couch had changed things between him and Dean, and their way to handle the difficult situation they had to deal with. He himself felt definitely more optimistic all of a sudden, like he had a goal he could focus on. The knowledge that Dean wanted to wear Castiel’s mark, if only in the form of a ring, was making him purr any time he thought about it. It had earned him a few confused looks from his colleague Frank Deveraux when Castiel’s mind had wondered off the tasks at hand while he was in the office. But it was not only the fact that Dean wanted to mate _and_ marry, Castiel was also pleased that Dean had actually opened his mouth and told him about it. It was not like Dean could not be outspoken about his wishes – whenever it came to their sex life, Dean had no problems to tell Castiel what he liked and what he didn’t, as much as he consistently asked Castiel about his own preferences. In the beginning, the omega had often blushed beet red when Dean conversationally brought up what Castiel thought about role-playing one of his favourite cowboy movies or whatnot. Now, Castiel still turned red more often than he would like to admit, but at least he didn’t stutter out his answers anymore, and he had to acknowledge that Dean’s direct approach had probably a lot to do with the fact that their sex was so very satisfying. As much as Castiel had learned to communicate what he was completely on board with, other things he might agree to when he was in the right mood – Dean was still waiting on that one when it came to _doing it_ in his beloved car – and what he never wanted to even try. And Dean had never tried to push him on the latter, even though he still brought up sneaking to the copy room every now and then. Maybe Castiel should have never confessed that he did think the idea was arousing, he just thought it would also be highly _improper_. After Dean had recovered from a fit of laughter, he had tried to explain to Castiel that this was the whole point.

Castiel looked at his monitors, not really seeing the text before his eyes, and let out a pleased hum at the thought that Dean more and more often managed to talk to Castiel about his feelings. Castiel had always known that despite his gruff demeanour, Dean was a pretty sensitive alpha – he was loving and caring and so protective of his loved ones he constantly felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. But Castiel always got inexplicably pleased when Dean let him in on his emotions by choice. Like when Dean had hesitantly told him how hard it had been to raise his little brother while his father watched him with constant disapproval, how disappointed he was when he thought Benny did not trust him enough to tell him he was gay. Or how he wanted to marry Castiel instead of only claiming him. Now, he might still often need a little nudge, but that was all right.

And not only Castiel’s mood had changed over the last days; Dean had seemed lighter as well. After they had talked to Meg, he did not smell too concerned about Alastair anymore. And he even seemed more hopeful about his own case. He had spent most of his time assisting Kevin and Charlie to sort through telephone lists and old cases of SecCo. Bela had provided them with countless recordings and old schedules – it was slow and boring work to check trough them, but not once had Dean complained. Bobby had found out that Rogers had met with Uriel’s sister a couple of times and even though Castiel did not believe she had anything to do with the alpha’s death, he felt hopeful because Rogers had finally started to look somewhere other than Dean. And to his surprise, the alpha seemed to feel the same way. When he smiled these days, even the wrinkles around his eyes had returned, much to Castiel´s delight.

And then they finally made some real progress.

It was Charlie who came rushing into Castiel’s office on one Friday morning, nearly three weeks after Uriel’s death. Her hair was rumpled and she looked like she had not slept at all last night, with a little help from excessive caffeine consumption, probably.

“Cas, we found something! We know who the thief is. Probably. Lunch at Purgatory. Twenty Minutes. I already called Dean. Get your coat. I´ll drive.”

She was out of the door again before the bewildered omega could say one word. So instead of talking, Castiel only jumped up in sudden excitement. Deveraux cursed under his breath, but Castiel didn’t care as he rushed after Charlie – the beta had been grouchy ever since Castiel had returned to work, because people kept knocking at their door, looking after Castiel or bringing new information.

When Castiel arrived with Charlie at the same bleak looking diner he and Dean had met with Benny and Victor nearly two weeks ago, there was already a group seated at a table in the corner. There were Dean, Sam and Benny as well as a young man Castiel had never seen before. But he expected it must be Kevin Tran – the fellow genius Charlie had talked about nearly as much as she had about Dorothy Baum during the last week. Charlie had spent most of her time in the headquarters of SecCo since she had started to work with Kevin, and obviously she had managed to run into Dorothy on a regular basis. She also believed that she and Kevin were practically soulmates and would soon become best friends forever. Dean had started to joke regularly that they might lose Charlie to the security company, instead of Benny, as they had assumed just a few weeks earlier.

From the look on their faces Castiel assumed that he, Sam and Dean were the only ones present who didn’t know what exactly was going on. And no one would tell them anything until some unfriendly waiter had taken their orders. It was not the same one as last time, but he seemed equally unmotivated.

“So, who is it?” Sam finally blurted out.

Charlie pointed at the newcomer who had been quickly introduced before: “Kevin found the connection, so he should start.”

Kevin Tran blushed, but he seemed pleased at her words.

“Well, as you all know, we thought that a heist like the break-in into the jeweller or the stolen painting were too big for first attempts, so we looked if there were some previous inconsistencies. We have wasted a lot of time trying to link any previous missions with the thefts. But we always came out blank. Mostly, because SecCo is pretty awesome, and we do a great job, if I may say so.” Benny chuckled, and Dean rolled his eyes. “But yesterday, with the help of Charlie and the police software, I started to check reports about _old_ clients instead of current ones and looked into their lives after they used the services of SecCo. It was pretty arduous work, but eventually, I found out about a few break-ins that matched the MO of the last cases. Nothing as bis as 1.5 million dollars, but in total, it would still make a pretty good income on the side. Like the painting, it was mostly about works of art. Just like our current cases, the artefacts – and a reasonable sum of money – were stolen during an attempted owner exchange. The seller gets the possession stolen, the buyer the money. Lights went out at the perfect time, they all paid in cash, and the security cameras were on an old loop. It seemed probable that the thief hat met the sellers during the time they were clients of SecCo. I checked all their old cases to find out who had been involved in them all. Bela could help with old telephone lists, indicating that one employee had had contact with at least some of those former clients. And there _was_ one person who stuck out.”

The waiter brought their food, but all eyes stayed firmly on the young beta, even of those who already knew what would come next.

“Dagon Ahn.”

Castiel vaguely remembered a dark-haired woman he had briefly met at his one visit to SecCo. Dean let out a growl, but Charlie held her hands up. “Hold your horses, alpha.”

The beta picked up where Kevin had left: “Kevin called me instantly, and together we sorted through those cases. Bela helped – she has recordings of everything. Seriously, I don’t think there ever happens anything in that building that escapes her.”

Benny and Kevin shared an odd look.

“Since he is the leading detective, I talked to Benny right away. And he called in Victor.”

Benny cleared his throat. “Vic could hardly believe it had been Dagon, but I thought she might be capable of something like that.” Strangely, Benny sounded almost ashamed. “But Victor asked me to talk to her at the office, with him present. And I agreed. Honestly, I thought it could even help to have him there. And it probably did. Dagon is hard to crack, but I think she is loyal to her boss and she wanted to help him get to the bottom of this as much as save her own hide.”

Castiel and Dean looked at each other in confusion. That was a pretty nice compliment about a thief.

“She denied she had committed any crime, even though she admitted she had been involved in all of the cases we had put together. But she claimed she only talked to the clients while they used the services of SecCo, and that she had not talked to any of them after her assignments. Then she checked the telephone lists.” Benny’s tone had Castiel and Dean perk up. “Bela had handed us lists that insinuated that those old clients who had been robbed had talked to Dagon _after_ they had quit working with SecCo. But Dagon insisted she had not even been in the office for some of the dates those phone calls seemed to have taken place. One time she had visited her mother in a hospital, another was when her brother Asmodeus got married. Vic and I were inclined to believe her. It would have been stupid to lie about those things – it would be too easy to prove her wrong – and that suddenly made one person look very suspicious.”

“Bela,” Castiel said, feeling oddly satisfied.

Benny nodded curtly, seemingly disappointed with the outcome. Castiel remembered how quick the alpha had been to defend her two weeks ago.

“Yeah. I think it crushed Victor even harder than when he thought Dagon had betrayed him. Bela had been with him ever since he started the company. And I really thought… well, anyway, Dagon gave us a link to an online photo album where we could see pictures of her brother´s wedding. Dagon was on some of them, staring at Asmodeus´ suit like it was the ugliest piece of clothing of all time, in almost every shot. There were also timestamps, so her story seemed to add up. Afterwards, we asked Bela to bring the time-tables of Dagon for the last couple of years. According to Bela’s recordings, Dagon would have been in the office that day.” Benny took a deep breath. “We are currently checking Dagon’s alibi for the other dates she claimed she had not even been in town, and Kevin also hacked into Bela’s system. But we are all pretty convinced by now that she is the culprit. It makes sense. Bela knows everything that´s going on at SecCo; she met most of the clients personally. She´s definitely smart enough to pull something like that off. And she does have an expensive taste, for a receptionist.” He looked at Dean, Sam and Castiel successively. “We want to collect some final proof before we confront Bela. But this has to stay between us, so she won’t be warned until we arrest her. When I left SecCo just an hour ago, I pretended like I was still after Dagon.”

“You think she acted on her own? It sounds like she would have needed some accomplice,” Sam mused.

“Yes. The robbed clients,” Charlie said without her usual humour. Both Dean and Castiel looked at her in surprise.

Sam leaned back and said contemplatively: “Ah. The perfect timing; the old footage on the cams.”

Charlie added: “Exactly. This would be pretty hard to pull off on two cases without making the owners suspicious, but all of them? Pffth. Don’t forget that all robberies took place at either the home of the sellers, or their private businesses. All with splendid surveillance systems.” 

“We think it’s about insurance fraud,” Kevin explained. “I found out that every single stolen item had been insured. Some of them only shortly before the theft, and some at a surprisingly high account. Most of the times, the sum the owners were about to sell them for was smaller than the number in the insurance papers. With such a public theft, a police report and an ignorant buyer as witness, the robberies seem believable, and all victims had been paid out.”

For a while, they ate in silence, letting the news sink in. Castiel felt pleased that his first impression of Bela seemed to have been the right one, but there was also something nagging at him.

Dean didn’t join in the happy cheers either. “But can you really accuse Bela of anything? I mean, she can blame the mixed-up time-tables as a simple mistake and…”

Charlie interrupted Dean: “I think I found a trail to the money. Before I rushed here to give you an update, I hit a banking trail that leads to the Virgin Islands. Give me a few more hours, and much more coffee, and I should be able to find it.”

“Plus, now that we have a lead, we are going to interview all those old clients. I’m pretty optimistic that some of them will talk to us. Especially the ones with the smaller fortunes.”

Benny, Kevin, Sam and Charlie looked excited, but Castiel and Dean glanced at each other in doubt.

“Why so glum, you two? We finally got the thief.”

“But… but do you think she had anything to do with Uriel? We all hoped that those two cases would be connected. That he tried to blackmail the thief and then just got killed for it or something. With Roman out of the picture… it seemed like our best option.” Castiel said timidly. “I mean, whoever did it basically beat Uriel to death. Bela seems a bit…”

“She’s a lightweight compared to Uriel,” Dean finished gruffly.

Sam shook his head: “But Uriel might already had been weakened after your encounter. And even though I’ve never seen this Bela: He got hit from the back, so he did not see it coming; maybe because he got visited by a woman, he was even less attentive. And one simple blow to the head – that wouldn’t be impossible, even for a child.”

“Maybe, but my gut tells me otherwise. Okay, she’s a thief, fine, but…”

Dean stopped when he noticed Castiel glaring at him. It wasn’t important that he agreed with Dean, the omega still felt uncomfortable that he would try and defend that woman.

Charlie rose from her chair and Kevin followed. “Whatever. We still have to finish a few things up, before we can even arrest her.”

“And then we can talk to her and maybe there will be something new,” Benny added with a hopeful look before he waved at the waiter, who had tried to ignore them for the last half hour.

 

>><< 

 

The next morning, Castiel checked his phone before he even managed to fully open his eyes. But there was still no news about an arrest of Bela Talbot. Castiel sighed and felt a bit dizzy after he stood up. He felt off, tired and stiff, and decided to take a cold shower to fight the laziness in his body. He was probably just in a bad mood because neither Benny nor Charlie had volunteered any information since they met for lunch the previous day.

As he walked into the kitchen, Dean handed him a cup of hot coffee. Castiel took it gratefully and drank down half of it in a rush. He had not known he was thirsty. Thirsty and impatient.

“How about we go and visit Mr Ishim?”

“What?” Dean asked, but Castiel could see he was excited at the idea.

“I’m tired of waiting on any news,” Castiel said in a gruff tone. “We know that Uriel found out who stole the painting and the money. We know it was probably Bela. And we know that one of the last places he went to was the hospital to visit Mr Ishim. Who is probably involved in the theft as well – if the insurance fraud theory holds. Maybe Uriel accused him directly. The nurse did hear them fight in the room after all.”

Dean did not argue with Castiel’s reasoning, but asked: “Wouldn’t have Benny talked to him by now?”

Castiel just shrugged. “Who knows? It seemed like they had still a lot to do. And we are less interested in the theft than in the fight with Uriel.”

Even though Castiel could see he had won, Dean still tried to argue once more: “Why would he talk to us now? Benny had not managed to get anything out of him the last couple of weeks. And didn’t Sam say it might just bite us in the ass if we go and interrogate him ourselves?”

“Well, your brother doesn’t know everything, does he?” Even Castiel noticed that he sounded uncharacteristically curt, but he didn’t back down. “I could just make up a sad story about how I want to know if the love of my life mentioned me on the day of his death or something.”

Dean raised an eyebrow. “You know, Cas, maybe we should try something less dramatic. Not to offend you or anything, but you are not exactly good at lying.”

Castiel grumbled: “Why am I surrounded by people who think that being a bad liar is something to be ashamed of? Honesty is a very positive trait.”

“Sure, baby, I’m just saying… maybe I should go alone. You know, keep you out of…”

There it was again, the protective-alpha-look. Castiel was not impressed. He held Dean’s eyes with a glare, until the alpha looked bashful to the floor. Huh. That rarely worked.

A few minutes later, both men were on their way to Ishim’s house.

>><< 

In the end, they had absolutely no luck with talking to the mysterious Mr Ishim. They did not even get as far as the front door. Dean had to park the car at a big iron gate at the end of a cul-de-sac. They had driven for nearly half an hour on an old road through a dark forest, just to reach a dead end. Behind the iron bars of the gate, Castiel could see a gravel path leading to a massive mansion, but they could not get through without ringing the bell.

Castiel walked up to the gate and noticed there were at least three cameras on him. When a deep voice answered his ring with a “Who are you and what do you want”, Castiel told his story about how he needed to talk to Mr Ishim about his deceased mate – quite convincing as he thought himself – but the guard told him Mr Ishim was not available at the moment. Castiel tried again, but he was told, quite unfriendly this time, that he should leave.

Castiel walked back to the car, shaking his head in defeat. Dean had been right – there was no reason why Mr Ishim would talk to him. Or maybe they had just been too early. It wasn’t even nine yet. He got back into the car where Dean still glared at the big gate.

“You know, we should have expected that someone who could afford a 1.5-million-dollar painting would not live in an old shack.”

Castiel just sighed.

“Come on, baby, we tried.” Dean stroked a hand over Castiel’s thigh and crooned: “But you know, since we are kind of in the middle of nowhere, and in this beautiful spacy car…” He waggled his eyebrows.

Castiel breathed out a chuckle and brushed Dean’s hand away. But he felt his body react in sudden interest. It must have shown on his face, or his scent, because Dean looked at him in sudden surprise. Castiel was just as astonished. But before either man could say anything, both their phones vibrated at the same time. They had received the same text message from Benny:

 

_Arrested Bela this morning._

_Still no confession. But evidence is strong._

 

Castiel and Dean looked at each other.

“To the precinct?” Dean asked, and Castiel nodded vehemently.

Dean started the car and they drove back where they came from, since that was the only direction to go from there.

But in the end, they didn’t get very far. Castiel noticed that Dean was staring more into the rear mirror than at the road ahead, and with a turn of his head, he could see that an old Buick was coming up behind them. The omega wondered for a second that whoever that was must have come from Ishim’s residence. Maybe, if they had waited just a minute longer, they could have sneaked in while the gate had been open to let the car out. But Castiel did not have a lot of time to yammer about their bad luck. Suddenly, Dean let out a growl and turned the Impala around sharply in the middle of the street, blocking the way for the car behind. Castiel let out a shriek and then an exasperated “What are you doing, Dean?” but the alpha was already out of the car. Without thinking, Castiel followed suit and noticed how Dean had stopped growling, and instead swaggered towards the vehicle like he was just on a Sunday walk. But one sniff told Castiel the nonchalance was all show.

Castiel saw what had riled Dean up before the alpha opened his mouth. Dean stooped at the driver’s side of the car, where the window was rolled down.

“Gordon. What a surprise to see you here. What could have possibly made you visit Mr Ishim?”

Gordon Walker did not exit his car, but Castiel walked up closely, so he could hear the answer.

“Mr Ishim is the victim of a robbery that I witnessed.” Gordon rested his hands on his steering wheel, smiling widely, like he was just making small talk with a friend. “I just wanted to check in on him. Make sure he’s okay. You know, that’s company policy.”

“Company policy?” Dean asked with a sneer. “Which company would that be? As far as I know, you are unemployed at the moment.”

And there it was. A flash of anger in the alpha’s eyes. Both men kept staring at each other, in the middle of a god-forsaken street on a Saturday morning, and Castiel feared they would soon be at each other’s throats. There was an intensified alpha scent in the air – and Castiel’s body reacted to Dean in a way that surprised him. Now was not the time to be turned on by his partner’s --- _alphaness_!

“Why don’t you get up and out of your car? Or does your knee still hurt? Those injuries can last a long time.”

Anger rose in Gordon’s eyes again, but he tried to look like he had no idea what Dean was talking about – Castiel didn’t have to try; he was honestly confused. The two alphas kept staring at each other, low growls escaping their throats. Castiel felt like he was left out of a silent conversation, and not only because of the alpha posturing.

He pulled Dean by the arm, stepping in front of him, closer to Gordon, trying to force his partner away, but it was Gordon who broke eye contact, side-tracked by Castiel’s movements.

“Oh, Dean what happened to you? Never thought you were the type to get tamed by a meek little omega.” He breathed in theatrically, and his smile turned smug. “Maybe you should bring him home quickly. He smells ripe.”

This time, Castiel had to grab hard to hold Dean back, and Gordon used the opportunity to start the car. He circled the Impala, the right wheels of his Buick driving through the mud, but he managed to leave them behind.

Dean breathed in deeply, to calm his nerves, Castiel thought. Then the alpha did it again.

Castiel chose to give him time to calm down and he let go of the alpha. He walked away and sat back down in the car, without exchanging a word with Dean. He shuffled around on the seat a bit, feeling sweaty. The short encounter with Gordon seemed to have left him unusually bothered. He waited longer than he had expected and looked in the side mirror to see that Dean was talking to someone on the phone. The alpha still seemed agitated, but when he finally got into the car, his scent was more excited than angry.

“Who did you talk to?”

“Benny. I told him to arrest Gordon Walker. Because he stole Uriel’s money.”

“I admit this has crossed my mind as well, Dean, but you seem awfully certain.”

“He hit him!” Dean suddenly yelled out.

“What?”

“He hit him. _Him_ , Cas!” Castiel only looked at Dean in confusion. “The nurse at the hospital. He said that one of the men, probably Uriel, yelled something about how he hit him! Uriel knew who the thief was.” Castiel only blinked. “You and Benny said that during the robbery, while the lights were out, Uriel had hit the thief with his cane. He had bragged he probably got him in the knee.”

“You think that was Gordon?”

“Yes. You know, he could not have meant _Bela_.”

“You think that Benny will arrest Gordon just because of a pronoun? There are a lot of men out there, Dean.”

“But none of them were directly involved in the theft _and_ just visited with one of the victims – who is probably also a suspect. Benny will definitely take Gordon in for interrogation. It’s a lead he has to follow. Especially because Bela seems to still deny she had anything to do with the painting. I´m not saying she´s innocent, just that she might have had a little help.” Dean´s paused, then mumbled like he was talking to himself: “Maybe they´ll even find someone who saw him limping. If someone like Uriel takes a cane to your knee, you can only pretend that nothing´s wrong for so long.” He turned to Castiel again. “And in any case, the fact that he was visiting with Ishim is highly suspicious.”

“Okay. Then let’s go to the precinct and talk to Benny and Charlie.”

Dean tightened his hands on the wheel but made no move to start the car.

“You know, Cas, I think Gordon was right about one thing. You do smell…” he took in a deep breath “…really good.”

Castiel blinked, and then it hit him. Feeling tired and agitated at the same time, almost agreeing to having sex in the car – although he knew that would happen eventually. Maybe at Dean’s next birthday.

“I’m starting a heat,” Castiel stated the obvious. For the first time in a long while Castiel wished he had been on medication. His heat was a bit early, but not uncommonly so, especially with all the turmoil in his life the last couple of weeks. Still, the timing was just really bad. Alphas and betas never had to deal with stupid stuff like that.

“Yeah, baby. So how about we go home and…”

“No. It’s just starting. Let’s go see Benny and ask a few questions. Then we can go home. And you can claim me.”

“Cas…” Dean started to protest, but Castiel shut him up with a glare. “Fine. But we have to drive by our place anyway. Can you at least take a quick shower, change your clothes and use that lotion that dulls your omega scent a bit?”

“You hate that lotion.”

Dean took Castiel’s left hand and brushed a kiss on his wrist. Castiel shuddered and he felt his hole clench to hold back the gush of slick at the smile Dean sent his way. Stupid heat.

“I do, baby. But as soon as we get back home, we can wash it off again.”

Castiel nodded weakly and Dean finally started the car.

 

>><< 

 

Castiel showered quickly and used an overdose of the lotion that should hide his smell for a few hours. It was nothing compared to the scent-reducing pills Castiel used to take, and just like them it didn’t help much when anyone came too close, but since he planned to be back home within one or two hours, it should be enough. He did it more to placate Dean anyway. He didn’t expect anyone in the police station to come on to him – Jody had an absolute zero tolerance for knot-heads in her team.

When he and Dean walked into the precinct, Castiel noticed the alpha stayed suspiciously close to him, pretty much like that time when Castiel had felt stalked and Dean would not leave his side.

It had been just a few weeks ago, but to Castiel, it seemed like another lifetime. Hopefully, things would slow down again soon. Castiel had been worried that Dean would be allowed to accompany him – he was still working on the theft as a researcher while Dean was still suspended – but Benny had obviously asked him directly to come, since he and Castiel had witnessed something potentially important for the case.

They had tried to come up with an inconspicuous lie to explain why they were on the dead-end street that lead to Ishim’s mansion. On their way here, Dean had suggested they could say they were searching for a lonely place to have sex. It had earned him an outraged look from Castiel who had proposed they might just have lost their way. Dean had not liked that idea at all. This tough guy alpha would never take a wrong turn, obviously. In the end, they just hoped Benny would not ask them until anything was proven, and even if so, they would admit the truth.

On their way to the open-space office where Benny would expect them, a few officers clapped Dean on the back, others made hopeful remarks that he would be back soon. Dean mostly ignored them and stayed right by Castiel’s side. At least some of the alphas they passed seemed to suspect why Dean did not stop to talk to any of them, and they kept a polite distance. Or a _safe_ distance, depending on how you looked at it.

When they arrived at the office, Castiel was surprised by the sight in front of him. Both Bela Talbot and Gordon Walker were present – seated at two different desks in the wide and crowded space, not in interrogation rooms like Castiel had expected. Bela sat with Eileen, and the two women talked quickly while Eileen typed something into the computer. Gordon sat on Benny’s desk, staring into the direction of the other employee of SecCo with narrowed eyes. It seemed like he tried to read their lips, but as far as Castiel knew, Eileen was the only one in the room with that certain talent.

Benny had left his chair and walked towards them. He seemed to notice Castiel’s surprise and whispered: “Gordon arrived just a few moments ago. We thought we would show them that we have them both in custody. Let them guess what the other one has told us already. Increase the pressure on them.”

As they walked slowly towards Benny’s desk, Castiel thought the tactic worked. Gordon seemed to get more uncomfortable by the second, and Bela kept shooting nervous glances in his direction.

Castiel nodded at Sam whose eyes flickered between their two suspects as well.

Benny mumbled lowly: “We picked Gordon up as he just left town. He had an overnight-bag and a lot of cash in his trunk. Might not mean anything, but maybe he got nervous after you confronted him, Dean.”

They sat down at the desk next to Benny’s, eager to know if there was any hard evidence against Bela or Gordon. Castiel even started to hope he would have a live seat to see one of them confess to the thefts, and preferably also the murder of Uriel Garrison.

And then all turned to hell.

There was a binging sound behind Castiel, and he turned his head. Jody Mills walked through the elevator doors. Her expression was stern, and she was followed by Donna, who looked like she either wanted to cry or punch someone. And Detective Victor Rogers, who wore the brightest smile Castiel had ever seen on him.

The trio walked right up to them and halted in front of Dean. Jody opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Suddenly, Crowley seemed to magically appear at Dean’s side. Castiel took his alpha´s hand on instinct.

Then Rogers announced with the happiest voice: “Dean Winchester, you are under arrest for the murder of Uriel Garrison in a jealous rage.”

“Don’t say anything, Dean,” Crowley ordered while Castiel asked Rogers: “On what grounds?”

“We have finally found the murder weapon.”

“Wha--- how?”

“An anonymous tip, called in this morning. And like the caller claimed, we just found the murder weapon in a container behind your apartment building. Must say, I thought you were smarter than that, Winchester.”

Castiel blinked. Rogers could not seriously believe that after all those weeks someone had called and told them about the magically found cane. Castiel looked around and could see that everyone else seemed to be as disbelieving as him. But Rogers pulled out his handcuffs and seemed to enjoy putting them on Dean in front of all the other detectives.

There was an eerie silence in the room, but then Gordon Walker started laughing.

“Look at that, Dean, both of us being brought down by the same damn walking stick.”

Castiel glared at Gordon.

Something about that statement bugged him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are nearly done, lovelies. :-D  
> Next chapter should be up in about a week.


	11. Chapter 11

**ELEVEN**

 

There was a binging sound behind Castiel, and he turned his head. Jody Mills walked through the elevator doors. Her expression was stern, and she was followed by Donna, who looked like she either wanted to cry or punch someone. And Detective Victor Rogers, who wore the brightest smile Castiel had ever seen on him.

The trio walked right up to them and halted in front of Dean. Jody opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Suddenly, Crowley seemed to magically appear at Dean’s side. Castiel took his alpha’s hand on instinct.

Then Rogers announced with the happiest voice: “Dean Winchester, you are under arrest for the murder of Uriel Garrison in a jealous rage.”

“Don’t say anything, Dean,” Crowley ordered while Castiel asked Rogers: “On what grounds?”

“We have finally found the murder weapon.”

“Wha--- how?”

“An anonymous tip, called in this morning. And like the caller claimed, we found the murder weapon in a container behind your apartment building. Must say, I thought you were smarter than that, Winchester.”

Castiel blinked. Rogers could not seriously believe that after all those weeks someone had simply called and told them about the magically found cane. Castiel looked around and could see that everyone else seemed to be as disbelieving as him. But Rogers pulled out his handcuffs and obviously enjoyed putting them on Dean in front of all the other detectives.

There was an eerie silence in the room, but then Gordon Walker started laughing.

“Look at that, Dean, both of us being brought down by the same damn walking stick.”

Castiel glared at Gordon.

Something about that statement bugged him.

It took Castiel a moment to realise what exactly had him so flustered all of a sudden. But fortunately, time seemed to stand still for a moment. He looked around the room while his mind tried to figure it all out.

Bela and Eileen had stopped talking and typing, both women were focused on the spectacle in the middle of the office, where Dean stood tense while Rogers put cuffs on him. Which seemed highly unnecessary inside a police station, but by the smug smile on his face, Rogers did it more for his own delight than necessity. Dean looked defeated, but any time his eyes shifted to Castiel, he twitched, like he contemplated to punch Rogers to the ground, grab his omega and just run away. Castiel saw Sam, slowly rising from his desk chair and walking up towards the group, looking as angry and disbelieving as Castiel felt. Jody and Donna looked torn, but the Captain did not even try to stop Rogers. Benny glanced at Gordon like he was bothered by something as well.

And Gordon Walker still smirked at Dean.

Didn’t he realise he had just made a mistake?

Didn’t anyone else?

Castiel’s mind was running wild. He hardly registered the side-effects of his oncoming heat anymore, still too focused on Gordon’s statement.

The alpha had been brought down by the walking stick? But wasn’t that basically a confession to the theft? The thought just passed Castiel’s mind, there was something more important he needed to focus on.

Benny seemed to be the only other person who noticed Gordon made a mistake, even though he did not seem to get the whole meaning as he said towards Gordon, in an all too gentle tone that fooled no one: “You’ve been brought down by a walking stick, Mr. Gordon? Care to explain how you mean that?”

Gordon paled, and Castiel wanted to laugh. That was not even the biggest of his problems. The omega suddenly felt light-hearted.

But before Castiel could get involved in the conversation, Bela let out a cackling laugh. “Yes, Gordon, what _did_ you mean by that?”

Gordon looked like a trapped animal for a moment, and then suddenly he jumped up like an alpha in a Rage, even though the next Full Moon was still a few days away. He pointed a finger at Bela and shouted: “That bitch did it! She is the thief! I have proof! I know she keeps one of the diamonds she stole from the jeweller in her purse.”

Everyone’s attention had by now shifted from Dean’s arrest to Gordon Walker’s outrage. Dean had even managed to make a step towards Castiel, so he was now almost between him and Gordon. Not that Gordon seemed to have taken any interest in Castiel as he still roared in Bela’s direction.

But unlike Gordon’s emotional outburst, Bela seemed completely collected. She looked from Eileen to Benny to Gordon, contemplating expression on her pretty face. Her fingers played with some papers in front of her. From his distance, Castiel could not get a good view on them, but they were in binders that looked like case files and he assumed it was some of the evidence Charlie and Kevin had assembled against the beta.

In the end, she admitted in a sober tone: “Gordon is right. But I wouldn’t call myself a thief – I’m more of a little helper. I knew some people who didn’t want to part with their works of art, but still needed to get some money. I assisted them in their predicament.”

“Aha!” yelled Gordon, still standing, still stinking up the whole precinct with a wave of fury, but also fear.

“And by _assisting_ them, you mean you staged a theft after which they could declare their object stolen, and also pocket the insurance money?” Bela nodded at Benny. “But for a nice fee, I’d guess.”

“Of course,” Bela admitted. “Good work is never cheap.”

Benny sighed, while the rest of the people watching stayed silent, even Rogers seemed to be taken in by the scene in front of him. Castiel was tempted to point at Benny and yell at Rogers: _See, that’s how police work is done!_

“But, Bela, you had a good job, and Victor … he really thinks a lot of you.”

“As he should,” Bela said confidently. “I’m a stellar employee.”

“You committed fraud with his clients, Bela! Because of you, SecCo seemed responsible for a line of robberies. It’s not easy to survive that kind of stigma. I really thought you were loyal to your boss.”

“I am. That’s why I only made deals with _former_ clients, you see. To keep SecCo out of it.”

“Out of it?” Benny raised his hands and let them fall again in frustration. “Bela, we have to arrest you now, and you can see how that will be really bad press for Vic.”

“It wasn’t like I planned to get caught. And I almost got away with it, didn’t I? I made one stupid mistake! One!” Bela finally seemed to lose her countenance, but her glare was directed at Gordon instead of Benny. “Just to get caught by an idiot.”

Gordon made a move like he wanted to attack her for the insult, but Jody held him back. Benny, however, stayed completely calm and Castiel envied how he managed to keep Bela talking.

“What mistake, Bela? The diamonds?”

“I got careless. I thought one heist, just one, that’s a little bit bigger than my usual work – no one would notice, right? I mean, no one had ever noticed it before.” She sighed, and Castiel realised that she did not seem to regret her actions at all, just her mistake. “We did everything like those other times. My client made sure the security footage got tampered with. I hid somewhere in the shop – and when the lights went out, I sneaked in, took the jewels and the money. But this time it was a close call – Dorothy nearly caught me as I brushed her on my way out.” Again, Bela sighed theatrically. “But I was not as lucky as I thought, I guess. I met with the jeweller two weeks after the robbery, to return the diamonds after the situation had cooled down a bit. When I exited his house, that dimwit,” she nodded at Gordon with a sneer, “practically attacked me. He’s not quite as stupid as he looks, because he didn’t believe I was only checking on Thaddeus Corey, the owner of the diamond shop, trying to placate him for losing so much money while we were supposed to protect it. But that _animal_ did not even try to listen. He searched me in an all un-gentlemanly way, and found three tiny little diamonds I might have kept.” She looked at Eileen like she expected compassion. “They were just so _pretty_ , you know.” Eileen stared at her with a blank face.

“And what did he do, Bela?” Benny’s tone was still conversational, while Jody and Donna held Gordon down on his chair.

“What do you think? He blackmailed me. Wanted seventy percent of my share. Seventy! That is outrageous!” She paused, but when no one seemed to pity her, she went on. “He also wanted to know exactly how I did it, even though as soon as he had realised I was working with Thad, he seemed to have figured it out already. Two months later, he tried to talk me into pulling another stunt like that, but I refused. The jeweller´s job had already caught way too much attention, and I considered myself lucky I got away with it. But that dimwit wouldn’t understand it. I tried to convince him that smaller thefts were easier to pull off – maybe not quite as rewarding, but as long as no one noticed, it would safely keep you out of jail.”

“And then he asked you to help him steal Ishim’s painting, and to rob that out-of-town buyer who would soon be out of the picture?” Sam asked.

“No, sorry, he didn’t approach me about it. I can’t help you there. And for the record, I had nothing to do with Mr Ishim and his painting, or the stolen 1.5 million dollars. But as soon as I heard about it, I knew it had to be Gordon. It’s obvious, isn’t it? I mean, _I_ didn’t do it – and I don’t believe someone else stole my MO.” She looked at Gordon with a menacing smile. “You just couldn’t listen to me, could you? I told you the police was already too interested in SecCo to do something like that again. And now, thanks to you, we are both here in this mess.”

Gordon growled at her, and Benny sighed.

“You got nervous?”

“Yes. Obviously. I mean, ever since you and Henriksen started to look at each other with gooey eyes, I felt less comfortable by the day. Even before the idiot made a whole new mess of it. You just seemed to be too focused on the jeweller break-in. It had been months ago – but you just kept sniffing around! And then Victor even hired Dorothy again – who had made for a perfect scapegoat. And you seemed to lose interest in her as a suspect, because you trusted Victor’s judgement or whatever.” She looked at Benny like a child that had just gotten the wrong Christmas present from Santa. “I mean, usually, I would have been happy to see Victor finally settling down with someone, but did it really have to be a detective? Especially the one investigating that little bagatelle.” She scoffed. “When you sneaked around after the painting was stolen, I admit I got nervous. I repeat that I had absolutely nothing to do with it. But as soon as you would have caught that idiot, I knew he would blame me the first chance he got. And I was right, obviously.” She looked at Benny, almost apologetically this time. “I admit I tried to throw you off with some personal drama. I heard that you and Victor had argued because you hadn’t told your friends about him yet. And when your best friend, one Dean Winchester, arrived at the headquarters, I tried to deflect you with a little embarrassment.” She briefly nodded at Dean, who still stood motionless with his hands cuffed behind his back. “I underestimated him. Since you didn’t want to tell that poster boy alpha, I thought he might be a little more appalled by you being gay. In the end, that would have been good riddance for you, but you would probably be a little off focus for some time. I didn’t expect you two to kiss and make up on the same day.”

She shrugged, and a long silence followed her confession.

“You seem very collected for someone who just admitted to a dozen thefts.”

“Well, it’s just insurance fraud. I just took a little bit of money from big companies and people who had too much to know what to do with it. It’s not like I killed someone.” She shot a brief glance in Gordon’s direction. Castiel thought he was the only one who saw how the alpha tensed up even more than before – everyone’s eyes were still fixed on Bela who sprawled on her chair like a cat. “And don’t forget that I fully confessed. I helped you bring down a fellow criminal. That should make me look good in court.”

“Which brings us back to you, Gordon,” Dean growled. “Benny was right, it’s interesting that you think you got brought down by the walking stick of Uriel Garrison.”

Rogers pulled Dean a few steps to the side with a rough hand, snarling: “You don’t have any say in this, Winchester, you should worry about your own fate.”

Castiel wanted to punch the detective, but Benny just picked up where Dean left: “You know, Gordon, Mr Garrison told us that he hit the thief in the knee. With his cane. And we also know that he seemed pretty sure he knew who stole his money.”

Gordon had curled his hands into tight fists, but didn’t answer.

Bela cackled: “Come on, big boy. You should follow my lead and confess.”

“Oh, but that would take guts,” Dean sneered with unhidden disgust. “And we both know, Gordon, that owning up to your mistakes was never your strong point. Or are you just too scared of prison?”

Rogers shoved Dean again, but no one paid them any attention as Gordon leaped up from his chair in a quick move. He spat out in Dean’s direction, but before he could do anything else, Jody had a firm hand on his chest, and Donna had locked his arm on his back.

“You seem awfully chipper, Winchester,” Gordon snarled. “All right, I helped Mr Ishim to keep his painting _and_ get the money. And yes, Uriel had hit me in the knee with his stupid cane. But you know what, Dean? I might spend a while in jail, but you know what will keep me smiling? Every day I will look into the mirror, knowing that I will get out someday soon while you’ll rot in a cell until you die.”

There was a sudden silence in the crowded office. Everyone’s attention turned back to Dean and the fact that he had just been arrested for murder. Yes, Bela and Gordon might have provided an entertaining distraction, but Walker was right; theft was not as condemning as cold-blooded murder.

Dean cowered his head slightly to the side, showing for the first time how tense he was. Rogers’ pleased smile was back in place and Benny and Sam looked at Dean with wide eyes.

Castiel thought he was the only person in the room who stayed completely calm. He cleared his throat and felt Dean’s eyes shift to him, and his alpha let out a low whine. Benny walked to Castiel and held a gentle hand to his arm; it was obviously meant as a reassuring gesture, probably even more for Dean’s sake than Castiel’s. Like he wanted to show his best friend he would take care of his omega if they got separated. Therefore, everyone was surprised when Dean’s whine turned into a loud snarl. Rogers had to hold Dean back with force, and even Sam was at his brother’s side to calm him down. Benny on the other hand took a not-so-subtle sniff and with wide eyes he suddenly stepped away from Castiel, nodding at Dean who calmed down considerably. That scene did not exactly pass by in secrecy and most people were now glancing from Dean to his omega in understanding.

Castiel sighed. Great, now everyone in the room knew his heat was about to start with full force. Just what he needed. It wasn’t like he hated it enough already when everyone knew about it while he was safely at home.

There was suddenly a new tension in the office; maybe everyone was assuming that it would be a lot harder to take Dean away from Castiel in his current condition. Not like the last time when he had willingly come with Jody and Donna.

But Castiel didn’t care about that right now – he still hoped that Dean would accompany him home shortly – he just looked at Gordon who still had a crazy smile plastered on his face. During the whole conversation between Benny, Bela and Gordon, he had listened with interest, but Castiel had also just waited for his chance to tell the crowd what had irritated him. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocked, but ignored it. He had more important things to do now.

“I have one more question for you, Gordon.”

Gordon Walker turned to Castiel, and his smile only widened. He glanced quickly at Dean, then back to Castiel, and seemed very pleased. Maybe he thought that talking to the omega would taunt Dean even more. By the sounds coming from Dean’s throat, he seemed to be right.

“You can ask me anything you want, little omega.”

Some people around him twitched, prepared to show Gordon what they thought about his manners, but Castiel held up a hand to stop them – and ignored the impulse to throw up at being called a little omega. Seriously, he did not know why so many alphas seemed to think anyone would take that as a compliment. At least Dean never tried to use his secondary gender as an endearment.

“We have now established that you had an involuntary encounter with Uriel’s cane. But how did you know that _Dean_ would be brought down by a walking stick as well?”

It was satisfying to see the smug smile vanish from Gordon’s face in one split second.

“I mean, Detective Rogers had just announced that they found the _murder weapon_. What makes you think it was a cane? For all the rest of us know, it could have been a stone or a knife. Maybe even a figurine of an angel?”

Of course, that wasn’t exactly true, but Gordon Walker was no police officer, and the detail that the murder weapon was probably Uriel’s own walking stick was never made public. Even Castiel and his friends only found out about it due to some subterfuge.

Castiel looked around the room, and then at Rogers. “I mean, theoretically, if the murder weapon was in fact a walking stick – isn’t it interesting that Gordon Walker knew about it? The very man who had just stolen 1.5 million dollars from the murder victim? I know I’m just a researcher and no detective, but I would look into that. Especially since some anonymous tipper had called you just moments after Dean confronted Gordon about the theft. And he left the city with a load of cash in his trunk.”

Castiel kept looking at Rogers with raised eyebrows. And then all hell broke loose.

Crowley started to talk to Rogers in a stern voice, while the detective looked completely dumbfounded. Sam and Benny looked at Castiel like they could not believe they hadn’t noticed Gordon’s mistake themselves, and everywhere people started to whisper. Bela leaned back and smiled like the scene in front of her was the most entertaining thing she had ever seen.

Castiel half listened in on Crowley, threatening to report Rogers to the FI if he would not leave his client alone. Right. This. Second.

And then Gordon Walker jumped up and towards Castiel, teeth bared and a loud snarl coming from his chest. Dean leaped between the two men, still cuffed, but willing to defend his mate. His heroism was not necessary however, because the alpha didn’t make it very far. Jody had yanked Gordon down to the floor, where he lied on his belly as the Captain cuffed his hands on his back.

Gordon howled out like a dog: “That’s all your fault, Winchester! I wish I never met you.”

“My fault? My fault you hid evidence or blackmailed people for police protection? My fault you couldn’t keep a new job without getting too greedy for your own good? My fault you _killed_ someone? Yeah, right. Like I said – no guts to stand up for yourself.”

Jody pulled Gordon up and on his chair.

Rogers, who had looked like he tried to imitate a goldfish for the last minutes, finally uncuffed Dean and said jovially: “Thank you for your help, Dean.” Everyone, including Dean and Crowley, stared at the detective in confusion. “Obviously, I was just trying to lure Mr Walker out. Arrested you here in front of him on purpose, so he would get too cocky. And I deliberately didn’t mention the cane, of course, that has in fact been found as the probable murder weapon.”

Castiel could see that hardly anyone in the room seemed to believe the detective had just followed an elaborate scheme. Even Bela, who did not know him at all, watched him with a raised eyebrow. The only person who seemed to be fooled was Gordon Walker. He looked like a man who knew he had just made a fatal mistake.

Castiel could not bring himself to care – for either Rogers or Walker. He was just relieved that Dean was a free man again. As soon as the alpha had his hands free, he put an arm around Castiel’s shoulders and the omega could barely suppress a purr. He suddenly felt too hot again. He closed his eyes for a moment. Just a little longer. Soon he would be able to take Dean home with him.

And they could mate.

When Dean let out a low rumble, that seemed to be stuck somewhere between pleased and threatening, Castiel realised that his body had reacted a bit too happily at the thought.

“You wanna go home, Cas?”

Castiel shook his head. He looked around, then his eyes stayed on Gordon. “I want to know why you did it. Did Uriel contact you and threaten you directly? Did he notice you walk funny after the lights went back on?”

Slowly, Gordon Walker turned his head to the side. “No. Right after the theft I managed to hide my injury. But as soon as no police was around, I did not concentrate too much about how I walked anymore.” He growled the words out like he wasn’t able to hold them back. “I tried to talk to Ishim at the hospital. Garrison must have seen me as I left. I don’t know, I didn’t notice him. But Ishim called me later. Uriel had yelled at him – he saw me limping, and thought it was strange I had talked to Ishim in the first place. Put two and two together. And that same day, Henriksen gave me the sack.” There was rage in his eyes again. “Because of Dean Winchester, apparently. Destroying my life once again.” He paused, but no one reacted to his challenge. Dean’s arm only tightened around Castiel, but he seemed in no mood to let go just to shove it to Gordon’s face. “I got drunk and contemplated to take my money and leave the city as long as I could. Or call the police and accuse Bela. But then I called Uriel instead. Thought I’d give it one try before I got up and left my life behind. Maybe I could persuade him with some money, or another deal.”

“You called him on Saturday night? From a telephone box?” Jody asked.

Gordon nodded. “And to my surprise, he said he wanted to meet up. Told me I should just come to his place and we’d find a solution.” Gordon sneered. “I was halfway sure it would be a trap, so I got into Peaceful Haven through the back door and arrived nearly an hour early. And there he was. Detective Dean Winchester, leaning at the door of Uriel Garrison’s room. I was sure they were working together, hiding some bug on Garrison or whatever, so I hid in a doorway, waiting for the right moment to sneak out again. But then suddenly, I heard a commotion. Then Dean left, and Uriel was yelling after him.” Gordon chuckled. “So instead of leaving as soon as Dean was gone, I sneaked to the door – and imagine my surprise when I saw Uriel Garrison, the man who had just accused me of theft, with a bleeding nose and a blurry vision. That stupid walking stick was leaning at the wall next to the door… and I thought… I thought why not kill two birds with one stone. I mean, someone had probably seen Dean come in – and by the looks of Uriel, he might even have left some evidence. So I picked up the cane and pulled it over Uriel’s head while he was still screaming some shit about getting his omega bitch back.” He looked at Castiel. “Guess, he must have meant you. Personally, I don’t know what he’d want with you.”

Castiel had feared Dean would finally snap, but he just rubbed a hand up and down Castiel’s back as he chuckled in Gordon’s direction. “Is that so? I suspect that has nothing at all to do with the fact that you’ve just been caught by that _little omega_.”

Silence followed, then Gordon looked like he had forgotten something very important. He turned towards Jody Mills and announced with an almost pleading expression: “But I had not planned to kill him! It was a Full Moon – and I Raged! I just… I didn’t think straight.”

Jody looked down at him in disgust: “You know what? I believe that last bit. Still won’t help you. Collaborating with us might. What did you do with the murder weapon?”

“Took it with me. It was the only thing I touched in the room. I hid it in the trunk of my car, wanted to get rid of it the whole time. But I wasn’t sure if I might need…” He suddenly stopped, like he realised he would only make things worse if he finished that sentence.

“And after you met Dean this morning? You panicked and hid it somewhere near his apartment? To discredit Dean even more – which, in all honesty, might have even helped your case.” This time it was Sam who looked at Gordon with repulsion on his face.

After a sharp intake of breath, the trapped alpha just nodded.

Castiel took in a deep breath himself, glad that everything seemed sorted. And then he took another one. A second later, he noticed in embarrassment that his face was glued to the crook of Dean’s neck, but he couldn’t remember moving. Dean only chuckled.

“What about we finally go home, baby?”

This time, Castiel nodded. After Gordon had confessed, and Dean’s name was cleared, his body obviously gave up trying to delay his heat anymore.

But unfortunately, Jody interrupted them. She cleared her throat, and said in a small voice: “Oh, Dean, that won’t be possible. I mean, Castiel should go home right away, of course. In his condition.” She scrunched her nose and Castiel thought it was pretty bad when even the beta noticed his scent by now. “But we’ll need you for a testimony. I promise I’ll make it quick. But considering you’ll probably not want to come in for the next two days, maybe just stay behind for another hour.”

Dean still didn’t move his arms away from Castiel. He looked around the room, and his reaction to even Benny told Castiel he probably saw anyone, or at least any alpha, as a potential threat. It was unusual that Dean was so hostile even towards his friends, but after what happened those last few weeks, Castiel could forgive him easily.

“Can’t I just come back after I take him home?”

Sam stepped to their side and slowly took Castiel out of Dean’s arms. “Come on, Dean, that would just complicate things for you. I’ll see to it that Castiel gets home safely. Then I’ll wait at your apartment until you’re back.”

Even though it was hard, Castiel stepped slowly away from Dean, with Sam at his side. His fellow omega, and Jody, were right. It would be better if Dean stayed behind and was then free to be with him for the next days.

“Listen to Sam. I have dealt with lots of heats on my own, Dean. I can survive without you for another hour or two.”

Dean nodded, hesitantly. It was fortunate that Sam had been around – he could leave Castiel in the care of his brother, and an omega.

When Castiel slowly walked out of the office by the side of Sam, he saw how Jody had her arms around Dean as soon as he had left him.

On his way out, he heard Gordon say something to Crowley, and the alpha answered loud enough to entertain the whole room: “You could never afford me, Walker. Besides, I only take clients who aren’t so stupid to confess to a room full of police officers.”

Castiel heard Sam chuckle, but he himself had no desire to laugh.

The farther he got away from Dean, the more he felt his heat.

 

>><< 

 

They drove home in Sam’s car and Castiel took comfort in the other omega’s pleasing scent. Even though he would have preferred someone else’s.

Castiel felt his telephone vibrate again when Sam parked the car in front of the apartment building, but the omega couldn’t bring himself to even take it out of his pocket. Whoever it was, it could wait until he was inside. He wanted nothing more than take a cold shower, change into comfortable clothes and wait for Dean. Maybe he would drowse off a bit, because he suddenly felt tired. But he knew that that feeling would soon change into something different altogether. He just hoped Dean would hurry.

When Sam opened his own side of the car, Castiel grumbled: “You really don’t have to come inside, Sam. I know you must be dying to go back to the station and see what happens next.”

Sam chuckled. “Oh, I already know what’s gonna happen. Gordon will get arrested for murder, theft and slander, and Dean will be back in the force in no time. All thanks to you and your quick wits.”

Castiel blushed at the compliment.

“Besides, if I left you alone right now, Dean might just kill me.”

Finally, Castiel managed to huff out a small laugh.

After Castiel had unbarred the door, his phone buzzed again, for probably the tenth time in the last hour. He took it out with an angry glare, ready to yell at Gabriel if he had tried to annoy him with some cookie recipes. Sam walked in behind him and Castiel suddenly stopped as he saw the calls and texts were all from Meg. He opened the last one:

_Lucifer’s still in the café. Don’t know where Al went. BE CAREFUL CLARENCE!_

It was Saturday. Of course. How could he have forgotten? Well, probably because of his heat, and the thing with Bela and Gordon, not to mention that Dean got arrested. Again.

Before Castiel could read his other messages, he heard a loud thud behind him. He turned around and saw Sam on the floor, seemingly unconscious, while Alastair Seal was standing in the still open doorway, creepy smile on his face and some iron rod in his right hand, a knife in his left.

“Hello, Castiel,” Alastair crooned. “Did you miss me?” He took in a deep breath and then his smile turned into something feral. “Aww, you didn’t have to go into heat, just for me, little omega.”

Castiel looked at Alastair in horror.

Would this nightmare never end?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I feel bad for bringing Sam in just so he could get knocked unconscious? Yes, I do. ;-)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is it, guys. Thank you for staying on this ride with me, even though I did not post as regularly as I would have liked. ;)

**TWELVE**

 

_BE CAREFUL CLARENCE!_

Those words rang in Castiel’s ears like Meg had actually yelled them at him instead of simply texting. He had specifically asked his friend to keep an eye on Alastair and Lucifer on weekends – and now he had not even remembered what day it was!

For the fragment of a second, Castiel longed for a life where his biggest problem would be to convince Dean to order some salad with his burger. But he had no time to get distracted in happy fantasies.

Later, he wasn’t sure what he had noticed first – the thud behind him, or the sudden smell of rotten eggs. Whatever it was, when he turned around, he was not completely surprised to see Sam on the floor, seemingly unconscious, while Alastair Seal was standing in the still open doorway, creepy smile on his face and some iron rod in his right hand, a knife in his left.

“Hello, Castiel,” Alastair crooned. “Did you miss me?” He took in a deep breath and then his smile turned into something feral. “Aww, you didn’t have to go into heat, just for me, little omega.”

Castiel looked at Alastair in horror.

Would this nightmare never end?

Alastair closed the door behind him with a foot, while Castiel seemed to be frozen in place. Shock settled in his whole body and it was hard to concentrate. He felt trapped in his own small hallway and could smell how his scent of heat and fear intensified by the second. Alastair closed his eyes for a moment and his smile turned absent-minded, like he was lost in an enticing daydream.

Castiel’s mind was running wild. What should he do? Should he scream before Alastair held a knife to his neck, hoping someone in their apartment building would hear him and come looking? But that might not just jeopardise his own safety but also whoever would try to help him. His other option was to deflect Alastair for as long as he could. Dean would be back soon – but it could take another two hours. Castiel wasn’t sure he could stall Alastair that long. Even though the omega had a preference of playing with his victims before he killed them. But Castiel surely did not want to be part of those games. Maybe… Meg would try to call Dean after she couldn’t reach Castiel, wouldn’t she? And Castiel had no doubt that Dean would storm towards him without a second thought if he knew that Meg had lost Alastair on a day out. Not even the whole police force united would be able to hold his alpha back. But maybe that was just wishful thinking.

Alastair ripped Castiel out of his thoughts as he mumbled to himself: “If I had known you’d be in heat… usually my omegas are always so dry. But you, Castiel, you will be soaking for me. You’ll _want_ me to take care of you. You’ll beg me to put my cock in you, just to be filled with something.”

Castiel looked at Alastair in disgust. He was used that some alphas thought an omega in heat was delirious with lust and would just beg for any cock. But he had expected more from an omega. Castiel could admit that his libido was acting up quite a bit during a heat – but the only person he wanted to help him in that situation was Dean Winchester, thank you very much.

He was contemplating to give Alastair a snarky remark about how he preferred his mate’s knot, but he thought he should not antagonise him so fast. The omega in front of him could be unpredictable. Castiel decided that stalling might be his best option.

So instead of responding about his heat, Castiel asked: “How did you come here, Al?” Then, after a pause: “Is Lucifer here, too?”

“Oh no, little omega, it’s just the two of us. Mr Cage is still waiting for me in a café a few towns over.” Alastair straightened and said like a schoolboy who barely remembered a poem he had to recite in front of class: “He just picked me up, so I would get to see something else than the hospital. He wanted to be nice. When I went to the restroom in that expensive café, I escaped through the back door. Poor Mr Cage has no idea where I might be.” In his usual voice, he added: “That means we’re all alone, little omega. Just you and I.”

Castiel almost sighed out in relief. He knew Alastair was dangerous, but at least he was alone. He tried to scare him off, knowing that his chances weren’t good: “That’s not exactly true. You should know that Dean will be here any second.”

There was just a little hint of doubt in Alastair’s eyes, then they flickered to Sam, who still lied motionless on the floor. Castiel prayed his friend was only unconscious and nothing worse. His eyes were glued to Sam’s neck, and finally, he thought he saw some movement, but he might have as easily just imagined it.

“I don’t think so. If your strong alpha would come home any moment, why did you arrive with his brother? He’s probably too busy to take care of your heat.” Alastair sighed. “Lilith has often been too busy. And your alpha must have sent Sammy here so you wouldn’t get any ideas and open your legs for another man. You know, I’m almost sad that he isn’t here. I might have let him help you with your heat. Sometimes, I like to watch. You remember when I watched the two of you before?” Alastair chuckled. “Oh, yes, you told other people you’ve always been _professional_ during your undercover mission. But we both know better, don’t we? I’ve seen you writhing on your alpha’s cock in heat.” He shrugged. “A shame he isn’t here. But at least you have me. I will make it all better.”

Alastair made a move towards Castiel, and in response, Castiel stepped back as well. He felt the door to the living room in his back.

“Ah, ah, ah. Stay still for me.”

They were just a few inches apart. Castiel remined himself that Alastair had only an iron rod and a knife in his hands, no gun. If he moved fast enough, he could shut the door in Alastair’s face, rush to his bedroom and barricade the entrance. Usually, Dean would have at least one gun in his nightstand, but unfortunately, he had to give them up while he had been suspended. But Castiel might get to some scissors at least or something else from the bathroom that he could use as a weapon. At the very least, he would be able to call back-up, and if he was lucky, Alastair would still be busy with the doors by the time the police arrived.

When Alastair made another step, Castiel knew he had to hurry. He pushed down the handle behind him and ran backwards into the living room.

But he was not fast enough.

In hindsight, it surprised Castiel how strong and quick Alastair had been. The omega had gripped his shirt, before Castiel even made it a foot away, and he raised his knife like he prepared to aimlessly stab it down on Castiel.

Castiel involuntarily closed his eyes, preparing for the pain.

But instead of a cut, there was only a loud thud, followed by the distinct sound of a gunshot. By the time Castiel opened his eyes again, Alastair had already let go of his shirt, and was falling to the ground. His body lay motionless on the floor, in the doorframe between the hall and the living room.

But Castiel had no eyes for Alastair. He just watched Dean who stood in the middle of the corridor, gun still in hand, and eyes glinting red in a way Castiel had never seen on him. Usually, this might have appalled him – it certainly did anytime he had seen it on other alphas on a Full Moon – but right now, Castiel thought he had never seen a more handsome man. But that impression might root on a mixture of heat and relief that clouded his judgement at the moment.

Dean looked Castiel over from head to toe, in an eerie silence and with those scary eyes. When he seemed satisfied that Castiel looked unhurt, he turned his head to look at his brother. Only now did Castiel realise that Dean had not come alone. Jody was already kneeling at Sam’s side, and Donna was standing by the unhinged front door, own gun in hand.

“He’s alive, Dean,” Jody whispered.

Dean didn’t alter his position, gun still raised, glancing from Castiel to Sam, obviously torn. It was Castiel who moved first, towards Dean or Sam, he didn’t know yet. But he didn’t get very far. He had done nothing more than lift one foot to step over Alastair, who, from the looks of it, had died as soon as he hit the floor. But Dean snarled at him. Castiel froze and looked at his alpha in shock. Dean had never snarled at _him_ before, and he did not like to be on the receiving end of that threatening sound. Castiel raised his chin in an obvious gesture of defiance, and he might have come over to the group anyway, if Dean’s snarl had not instantly turned into an apologetic whine. So Castiel paused, and stayed where he was. For further distraction, Sam suddenly groaned and slowly rose into a sitting position.

“Sammy!” Dean yelled, but he still did not move for another second. He shot Castiel a loaded look, until the omega just nodded and stayed otherwise still. Dean kneeled at Sam’s side, but it was Jody who asked: “Sam, are you all right?”

Sam nodded. Then he looked around, and his eyes widened as the took in the body of Alastair. Sam’s gaze shot to Castiel, and he sighed in relief when he realised the omega was unharmed.

Dean was still gripping his shoulders, giving them a little shake, because his brother had not said a word yet.

“I’m fine. Bit dizzy. What happened?”

“Alastair happened,” Donna growled out. “He obviously wanted to meet up with Castiel.”

At the mention of his omega’s name, Dean squeezed Sam’s shoulder once more, before he rose from the floor, finally walked up to Castiel, pulled him into his arms and drank in his scent. They stood like this for a long time, until the tension suddenly left Castiel’s body and he melted into the alpha. Castiel heard someone coming closer, and Dean growled.

“He’s dead, Jody.” It was Donna’s voice, and Castiel assumed she had knelt next to Alastair. But he couldn’t see anything as his head was still pressed to Dean’s chest. The sounds that came from there did not bode well. Not to mention that there was still a tinge of red in Dean’s beautiful green eyes.

Suddenly, the alpha picked Castiel up and set him down on their couch in the living room. Then Dean turned around and took one of Alastair’s feet, pulled the dead omega towards him so he was no longer lying in the doorframe but fully in the hallway.

“Dean, you can’t just…” Jody yelled, but Dean just stalked back again and closed the door to the living room in her face. Sam said something to the women, but Castiel could not make out the words through the door. Dean locked it by pulling a chair under the handle. Then he placed himself somewhere between the door and the couch, glowering at the barricaded entrance like it might suddenly turn into a two-headed beast.

Castiel looked at Dean with wide eyes. “What are you doing, Dean?”

“Protecting you. Like I should have done in the first place.”

“Dean, you did protect me. Look, I don’t have a scratch on me, because of you.” Castiel looked at Dean, who slowly walked over to him, still staring in the direction of the door, and still holding his gun. “Lay the gun down, Dean. Alastair is dead. And there are only our friends on the other side of that door.”

Dean’s nostrils flared. “You’re still scared.”

“No,” Castiel answered truthfully. “I’m still nervous.” Then he added, less truthfully because he wanted Dean to feel better instead of worse: “Mostly because I worry you might accidentally shoot one of our friends.”

Finally, Dean secured the gun and tucked it into his waistband, not letting go of it completely. Castiel reached a hand out to him. Dean took it and let himself be pulled down on the couch next to Castiel. The omega waited a few heartbeats, to give them both the opportunity to calm down. He felt like he should just go and open the door again, but he had to admit: He didn’t want to. The world had asked enough of him for one day, and now, he would rather just cuddle with his alpha. But he still wondered how Dean had made it so fast.

“So… Meg called you, I guess?”

Dean nodded. “Yes, she said she had texted us updates for over two hours. Al and Lucifer had gone on a nice road trip and stopped at a café only about twenty miles away. And then she lost Al. Lucifer obviously acted like he had no idea where he might have gone to. And Meg didn’t know how much time had passed before she realised Al was missing. I rushed out of the police station, and honestly, I don’t know how Jody and Donna managed to catch up with me.” Dean looked at the door. “But I guess it’s good I had them with me. Otherwise, someone might accuse me of murder, again.”

Castiel shuddered at the though that without witnesses, Rogers might in fact have tried to arrest Dean again. He rested his head on Dean’s shoulder when he heard more people and commotion outside.

“Well, I’m glad you were so fast.”

Castiel squeezed Dean’s hand. He suddenly felt hot and had an urge to just rip his own clothes off. To make it worse, he felt slick run out of him and pool in his underwear in a suddenness that had not happened since he had been a teenager. And he wasn’t even aroused – it was more like his body told him that he had ignored his heat far too long by now. Or maybe the stress just added to the intensity.

Instead of getting all over Castiel, Dean was up from the couch again and growling in the direction of the door where they could still hear people working about. Then there was a soft knock and Dean’s growl turned into another loud snarl.

“Stop that, Dean, it’s me.” Sam’s voice came muffled through the thick wooden door. “We have already called in forensics and will take Alastair with us as soon as possible. We came to the conclusion that Jody has seen as much as you, so her testimony will have to suffice for now. You two are expected at the station on Tuesday.” There was a pause, then a sigh. “Take care of your mate, Dean. I’ll call you when we’re done here.”

“Thank you, Sam,” Castiel yelled, as Dean was still glaring at the door, a little bit shell-shocked.

Castiel stood from the couch, and Dean looked at him like he wanted to object. The alpha had obviously planned to keep both the door _and_ Castiel in sight.

“I need to take a shower, Dean. I’m sweaty and slick, and that omega lotion makes me all itchy.” He walked towards the door of their bedroom that would lead to the adjoined bathroom. “And then I will take care of my heat. You can either help me, or you can stay here and glare at the door.”

Castiel was not surprised when he could feel Dean beside him before he had even reached the bedroom. He did not waste any time picking out clean clothes, knowing he would not need them anyway. He pulled off what he was wearing as soon as he was in the bathroom. Before he stepped into the shower, Dean stopped him with a gentle hand. He looked Castiel over, not in a sexy way, but like he was searching for any injuries he might have hidden before. When he was satisfied that Castiel seemed unhurt, he pushed his nose to the crook of Castiel’s neck and soon licked over his throat. Right where his mark was.

Castiel felt his body react to the gesture in a way he had not believed would be possible ten minutes ago. For god’s sake, there was a dead man in the hallway to his apartment. But his body only cared about the soft lips on his neck and the comforting scent around him. He shuddered at the thought that Dean would soon leave a real mark on his neck, and felt another gush of slick run out of his cleft. On impulse, Castiel turned his head and bit into Dean’s neck. It was not so hard as to draw blood, yet, but definitely more than a gentle nip.

Dean hissed and pulled back. He looked down at Castiel with an almost indignant expression, but also a bit insecure. Castiel felt the need to explain his action.

“We will mate today, Dean,” Castiel said like it was an order.

Dean scoffed. But when Castiel expected that Dean would make one of his usual remarks about how Castiel always got bossy when he was in heat, the alpha responded with a simple, hoarse: “Yes.”

Castiel turned on the water and stepped into the shower. He was not surprised when Dean soon joined him, after the alpha had gotten rid of his own clothes. Castiel closed his eyes as he felt the warm water on his skin and Dean’s hands roaming over his body, spreading soap all over him and probably also still checking that his omega was safe and healthy. Dean even washed his hair and Castiel melted into the sensual hands that brushed over him.

He still had his eyes closed when Dean finally turned off the water and wrapped him in a big, soft towel. The alpha picked him up and soon he felt the soft bed beneath him, Dean lying down next to him, arms still closely wrapped around him. Castiel snuggled closer, rested his head on Dean’s chest and started purring. It was not the first time he experienced how soothing Dean’s mere presence was to his heat. There was nothing sexual in the way they held each other at the moment, but Dean’s touch and scent still did wonders to his sensitive body.

Castiel heard a sound and he tugged his head under Dean’s chin, suddenly embarrassed. There must be at least a dozen of people just a few feet away. All knowing that he was in his bedroom. In heat. He did not want to know how many of his colleagues were making lewd jokes about him right now.

Dean must have noticed there was something wrong. “What’s up, Cas? You cold?”

Castiel shook his head no – he was in heat. It was hard to get cold while you were in heat, and Dean knew it. The alpha just waited.

“It’s just… they are all out there, knowing I’m in heat. They’re probably thinking I’m a mindless pool of slick by now. Not able to think about anything other than having a cock in me. Maybe you should go out and help them. Act like I’m just taking a nap.”

Dean growled at bit, but his voice sounded collected. “I doubt anyone is even thinking about mocking you right now, baby.” He moved them so that instead of lying half on top of Dean anymore, Castiel was on his side and Dean looked down into his face. “You were _awesome_ today, Cas. If anything, you might have proven to the whole police corps that an omega in heat can still be a lot smarter than the rest of them. You were the only one who noticed Gordon’s mistake. So much for not thinking clearly. I’m really glad I caught myself such a clever omega.” Dean teased and Castiel blushed. Green eyes shone bright as the alpha added: “You got me out of jail, Cas.”

“Well, you just probably saved my life, so I guess, we are even.”

Dean stroked a thumb over Castiel’s cheek. “I thought I might have lost you. When I ran up the stairs, and I smelled that sulphur scent – I thought I might be too late.”

Instead of an answer, Castiel pressed his lips to Dean’s mouth. It was a rough kiss, at first, but the alpha turned it into something gentle and comforting. Dean slowly rolled on top of Castiel, only the towel between their naked bodies. Dean nipped playfully at his bottom lip and Castiel spread his legs to let Dean settle between them while he trailed a hand up and down the alpha’s strong back and shoulders. He smelled more then felt that he was producing a new pool of slick and moaned out when something hard brushed against his hips. It was about time that Dean reacted to his uprising heat.

In one harsh movement, Dean had suddenly pulled the towel from between them and stroked over Castiel’s thighs who in response opened his legs wider. Dean’s teeth scratched from his neck to Castiel’s chest and he sucked on his nipples while Castiel’s hands roamed in his short hair. Just as Dean’s hands had started to knead over Castiel’s buttocks, a phone started ringing.

Dean let out a frustrated sound, but he pulled away from Castiel and even hopped off the bed. The omega frowned at his alpha – he could not seriously think about taking a phone call right now.

Dean noticed his outraged expression as he walked to the bathroom in search for his phone. “Sorry, sweetheart, but it’s probably Sammy.”

Castiel’s eyes widened. He had forgotten. For a moment he had actually forgotten there was a dead body just outside his living room. That there were people in their hallway. That his life had been threatened just an hour ago.

Dean returned with his phone in hand and put the call on speaker, so Castiel would be able to hear the whole conversation.

“Hey, Sammy, everything fine out there?”

“Yes, Dean, we’re almost done. Everyone’s packing up their things and Alastair Seal has already been brought away. In a minute, I will lock up your front door. I called Gabriel and he came by to bring you a few bags full of groceries and stuff. In case your kitchen is not prepared for a heat. So, the two of you can… take care of things and I will see you in a couple of days.”

“Thanks, Sammy,” Dean replied, ended the call and put the phone on a cabinet.

Dean came back to Castiel who was still lying on his back, legs still spread invitingly, still smelling of slick and heat. And his eyes were fixed on the alpha’s cock like it was the most exciting thing he had ever seen. Dean groaned, and Castiel finally looked up into his eyes.

“Are you planning on watching me for the rest of the day, Dean, or are you finally ready to take care of my heat. Like your brother suggested,” the omega said impatiently.

With a wicked smile, Dean walked slowly towards the bed and stroked a hand from Castiel’s calves over his knee up to his thigh. Castiel tried to glower at Dean, but when a hand ghosted over his cock, he whined instead. Suddenly, Dean was on the bed. He lifted Castiel’s legs over his shoulder as he started to play a finger around the omega’s hole. He did not push in however, but licked once over Castiel’s rim, having the omega howl out. Finally, he let two fingers slip into the heat. Castiel was so slick a third followed easily. Dean spent a lot of time down there, his fingers working Castiel open while his lips and tongue brushed over Castiel’s cock. All the while, Castiel made the most beautiful noises. The omega might feel embarrassed that he seemed unable to do much more than moan and shiver, but he knew how much Dean enjoyed seeing him like this. And as much as he liked to appear collected most of the time, it felt good to let go every once in a while. With someone whom he trusted so completely.

“You are so beautiful, baby. And all that pretty noises you make for me. You have to be the sexiest thing on this earth,” Dean crooned, and let a little bit of Alpha sip into his voice. Castiel felt a shiver run down his whole body and thought there was nothing more blissful than his alpha taking care of him in that way.

But it came the point when he could not take it anymore.

“Dean, please,… I need to… I’m gonna…”

“You can come whenever you want, baby.” Dean’s hands were now on Castiel’s cock, stroking up and down and twisting his palm over the head in a way that had the omega bite his lips, hard.

“No!” Castiel almost yelled. “I want your knot. I need you to mate me.”

“We still have time for that, sweetheart…”

“No! You will knot me, and you will bite me. Now!”

“Have I ever told you that your heat makes you even bossier than usual,” Dean chuckled, but he stopped stroking over Castiel’s member.

Dean’s face wandered up Castiel’s body and as soon as he was close enough, Castiel pulled him down so he could kiss his alpha. It was messy, all teeth and tongue and spit, but Dean groaned out and Castiel finally could feel something hard at his rim. A second later, Dean pushed in and Castiel sank his teeth into the alpha’s neck, more on instinct than anything else. This time it was deep enough for a mating bite. Dean kept pushing in and out of Castiel, in hard and deep moves. It didn’t take long – with Castiel in heat and after the excessive foreplay – until Castiel came between them at the same time as Dean bit into his neck. Dean kept thrusting into him for another few minutes before his knot finally tied them together and Castiel fell back into the mattress, full and happy and completely relaxed. Like all the tension had left his body, and he was just floating over the bed.

He must have dozed off, because the next thing he knew was that he was lying on top of Dean, both their bodies still locked together. Sometime while he had his eyes closed it had gotten dark outside. He pushed himself up a little to look at the clock in the dim room. The movement made Dean moan out and Castiel noticed how his own half-hard cock twitched in sudden excitement. Still drowsy from sleep but also shivering from another wave of heat, he sat up, so he was straddling Dean. He slowly pushed himself up and down Dean’s cock as much as was possible, his hands on the alpha’s shoulders, and forcing another round of come out of Dean. After his initial surprise, the alpha stroked up and down his cock until Castiel came again, Dean’s knot still buried inside him. They had never done this before – coming multiple times on just one knot – but it felt fantastic. Castiel could not remember anytime feeling so full and complete. He lied down again, stroking a hand over Dean’s chest while he felt Dean’s fingers massaging against his scalp. He moved his hips a little just to see that Dean’s knot was as firmly in place as before. Castiel sighed happily.

“Sorry, baby, my dick seems to want to set a new record.” Dean’s voice was rougher and deeper than usual.

“I don’t mind one bit.”

“So… since we have a little bit of time on our hands… when should we set the wedding date?”

“That depends. Do you want a big wedding with over a hundred guests and enough time for our friends and family to prepare embarrassing games and stupid toasts?”

Dean just looked at him in horror.

“Yes, me neither. So how about in two weeks?”

“Two weeks?”

“Yes, enough time to buy two rings, something reasonable to wear, get the paperwork done and hire a minister. Then we can say our vows with as little pomp as possible.”

“Oh, baby, what did I ever do to deserve you?”

Castiel looked down at his mate.

“You’re a wonderful man, Dean Winchester. You’re loyal and caring and you readily take on responsibility and…”

“You know this was a rhetorical question, right?” Dean tried for a teasing tone, but Castiel could see how moved he was.

“…and you’re my _mate_.”

Castiel said the last word like he could not think of anything more wonderful.

 

>><< 

 

Like they had agreed on that night, their wedding took place just two weeks after Castiel’s last heat. They had only invited a small number of people, who, fortunately, had planned only a minimum of embarrassing games and seemed to have a good time.

They got married by Castiel’s priest, like the omega had wished, and the man had made a few comments on how he would love to see Dean at his church more often in the future. Gabriel had stood by Castiel’s side as Sam had been on Dean’s. Their vows were short, but still, Castiel could feel tears running down his cheeks and Dean looked like he was on the brink of crying as well.

After the ceremony, everyone stayed for a great dinner and dancing. Castiel was riding on a high the whole day. It was like he had always dreamed his wedding to be. Nothing big and exhausting. No worries if anyone felt left out or having to talk to a vast number of people he hardly knew – just their closest friends and family members.

He stood by the side, alone, resting from all the clumsy dancing and laughing he had done that day, and watched the crowd with a smile, feeling grateful that he had not only a wonderful mate, but so many people whom he loved, and who, he was quite certain, loved him back.

There were Sam and Eileen, dancing together a little awkwardly – with Eileen being so good at it and Sam looking like a moose trying to remember the right steps. They still showed no indication that they ever wanted to get married themselves; a mating mark seemed to be enough for them. But they had just started the process of adopting a child. Castiel was still grateful how Sam had handled the situation on the day of his last heat – even though the omega had had a small concussion himself. Sam and Eileen had done their best to arrest Lucifer Cage for helping Alastair, but it had led nowhere. Everyone was sure that the alpha had not only by chance chosen to rest at a café so close to Greenville, but it was nearly impossible to prove he had goaded the omega to take a cab and try to kill Castiel, or Dean. They only could give him a warning for neglect. He would not be allowed to act as a chaperone for any other resident of a mental institution anymore, but that would hardly hurt him.

Sometimes life just wasn’t fair. Castiel still would have liked to find something incriminating against Dick Roman as well, but it couldn’t be changed.

At least he could feel a bit smug when it came to Detective Rogers. The beta had been shifted to another position. He was now the director of traffic control in their precinct. It was even a promotion, payment-wise, but it was the kind of job everyone knew you only got when you messed up, but no one could hold something against you. And it was basically a dead-end, career-wise. He would only sit at a desk the whole day, signing papers. Whenever he wanted to change something about the process, he needed to consult the Captain. And the current Captain was not at all happy with him.

Jody had just pulled Bobby to the dance floor. Castiel was glad he and Dean had made up with her, and there was no bad blood between them anymore. After Castiel had time to think about it, he came to the conclusion that Jody had helped them a lot more than she had let on. For example, when she had suspended Castiel, she might have done it just so he had more time to look after Dean’s case, or the fact that she let Charlie and Benny still handle the robberies, even though there had always been the possibility they might have been related to Uriel’s death. And as Castiel watched the two dance, he started to believe that Jody had even been Bobby’s secret source all along. Of course, he never talked to her about those assumption specifically, knowing she would deny it anyway.

And maybe she had not helped Dean on completely altruistic motives alone. Both Jody and Bobby had teased Dean that now that his name was cleared, he could continue to work on his career to become Captain one day. Even three years ago, when Castiel had first moved to Greenville, it had already been one of the precinct’s favourite gossip topics: That Dean Winchester would become the next Captain. Twelve months ago, when they had started dating, it had seemed unlikely to Castiel that Dean would ever settle down for a desk job; but in a few years’ time, maybe… Castiel knew that he would feel more comfortable to know his husband would not spend every day chasing after criminals. Especially not if there would one day be children involved.

During his last heat, they had talked about terminating birth control. Dean had insisted that they should wait for a couple of months, enjoy married life for a while, before they took that step. Castiel had agreed, but he still dreamed about little kids with green eyes and dark unruly hair more and more often. He knew that Dean had some doubts about himself, fearing he might turn into his dad once he had a child. But Castiel knew that idea was just plain stupid. Dean would make a wonderful father.

Castiel’s eyes shifted to the table where Dean had joined Lisa to greet her new dentist boyfriend where they sat with Hannah and her own small family. He looked at Ben with a soft smile – if Dean could be so fantastic with a boy who was not even his own, and whose mother he had dated for less than a year a long time ago, Castiel had no doubts that his alpha deserved a whole bunch of children who looked up at him like Ben did in that moment.

Hannah noticed he watched their table and winked at him. A small boy had fallen asleep against her shoulder. Castiel’s smile widened. He was grateful he had listened to Dean and invited his oldest friend to their wedding. Uriel had managed to put an end to their relationship for years, and even after Castiel had practically fled to Greenville, he had not dared to contact her. It had felt like too much time had passed. Too much silence. When he had finally called her, Castiel had not expected his old friend to be so happy for him that he had finally found someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

Like Benny obviously had. The alpha currently danced with his partner, slowly, even though an upbeat song was blasting through the room. The couple had announced that they wanted to get married as well. Dean had been surprised, even called their decision a bit rash, but he hadn’t said anything of the kind to his friend. Castiel thought the tension between Victor and Dean would probably never completely cease, since the two of them were such _alphas_ – and in that context, Castiel did not think of the term as a compliment – but they both obviously loved Benny and would keep their posturing to a minimum, for him. Plus, Victor still seemed to feel a bit guilty that one of his employees had tried to frame Dean with murder. Not that this had been Victor’s fault at all.

Loud laughter made Castiel look towards a group of women. Donna jumped around with Alex and Claire, Jody’s girls. And soon Charlie joined in, while her date, one Dorothy Baum, only smiled at the group from the side-line. Charlie had been hesitant to bring her as a plus one – it was basically their second date – but since Castiel and Dean had heard so much about that woman during the last year, it only seemed to fit. Charlie told them that as soon as Gordon and Bela got arrested, Dorothy had called her, saying: “So, now that you are not investigating me anymore, can we finally go out together?” Obviously, Charlie had agreed in a completely cool and composed way – neither Dean nor Castiel believed that part of her story.

Balthazar and Gabriel were joining the crumble with even more erratic movements – and soon no one was dancing anymore but just jumping around. But by the laughter on their faces, everyone seemed to have a great time. Balthazar had tried to flirt with Claire at some point, but the girl did not even need Jody to tell him that he was just being gross.

When Dean and Castiel had told him that they wanted to get married, Gabriel had not disappointed and held a long speech about how he would feed Dean’s balls to a goat if he ever let Castiel down. Dean had not seemed impressed – but it was unclear if he had just gotten used to Gabriel’s goat-threats or if the soft glinting in Gabriel’s eyes had taken the edge out of it.

A few feet away from the partying crowd, Meg rolled her eyes. She stood next to Crowley, which was surprising. But not so much as when Castiel had learned that the two of them had arrived in Greenville together. He wasn’t sure what was going on between them exactly, and he didn’t want to pry. If there would be something coming out of it, he was sure he would get to know it eventually.

Crowley had waived any payment for assisting Dean those few weeks. The fact that the alpha had shot one of the murderers of his son seemed to satisfy him more than any amount of money could.

Thinking back on Alastair, remembering all the murder and death threats around them over the last weeks and months, Castiel sighed.

“Oh no, my omega is sad on his wedding day. I’m already doing a bad job as a husband,” Dean said in a teasing voice. The alpha had sneaked up behind Castiel and put his arms around him while Castiel rested his back against Dean’s chest.

“I’m not sad. I was just thoughtful for a moment.”

Castiel looked at their intertwined hands, and the ring on Dean’s finger. He really enjoyed seeing a physical sign that they belonged together. Dean had been right. A bite on his own neck was one thing, but he did love to see some form of mark on Dean as well.

“Thank you, Dean.”

“For what?”

“For insisting on getting married…”

“Well, I still can’t believe that you had a crush on me for two years and never dreamed about…”

“…and for being such a wonderful alpha. I love you.”

That shut Dean up, and instead of a teasing reply, he tightened his arms around his mate and whispered: “I love you too, Cas.”

Castiel pushed his hips back a little, and Dean gave a surprised yip.

“What about we leave this party… alpha?”

“What? This is our wedding, Cas. We can’t just leave.”

Castiel rubbed his behind against Dean’s crotch again.

“Can’t we? I mean, it is _our_ wedding. And I thought we could take the Impala and look for a nice, secluded road where no one will notice if we park fo…”

“Aww, baby.”

Dean turned Castiel around for a quick kiss, then he took his hands and pulled the omega after him as he rushed towards his car.

Castiel followed him with a wide smirk on his face, waving at no one in particular.

He just hoped life would finally give them a break.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some of you probably like long epilogues about a happy future with kids and a nice house. The thing is: I don’t. It feels so final – and I’d rather keep the door open if, someday, I want to do another (very short and less dramatic!) case or just a soppy one-shot.   
> I hope this ending still wrapped it up nicely. (I didn’t re-read the story and only had my notes from the beginning, so I really hope I didn’t forget something important! If so, please tell me.)
> 
> Kudos and comments always make me happy. :-D

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language, so please forgive me my mistakes. :-)


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